


Hell of a Long Way Home

by PaperAnn



Series: Triptychs And Tyranny [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Angst, Bottom Dean, Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Frottage, M/M, Multi, Rimming, Sexual Tension, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Top Castiel, so much plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-10-08
Packaged: 2018-01-22 00:20:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 125,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1569137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperAnn/pseuds/PaperAnn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you want sanctuary?”</p>
<p>Dean's scoff echoed in the small room - sheltered from the beating sandstorms of the desert right outside. Before he could retort with a biting comment, hinges squeaked and the stranger pulled open another trap door. He gestured to the passage, “Go ahead.”</p>
<p>Dean peered into the darkness and instantly shook his head, “Fuck no!” It was pitch-black and he could smell death all over again. The smell was almost as bad as the city which he'd escaped. He was suddenly hyper-aware of the peeling, dried blood of his family chaffing his skin. The end of the world had a scent: burning bodies and sulfur.</p>
<p>“Why not?” The man tilted his head and squinted, as if Dean was being <i>unreasonable,</i> refusing to dive in at the suggestion of a possibly homicidal stranger. Everything was <i>wrong</i>. Dean was completely alone, Hell was on earth, the world was imploding and now this man was trying to shove him in a hole underground?</p>
<p>“I don’t know <i>who</i> you are, I don’t know <i>what’s</i> down there, I don-”</p>
<p>Dean’s mild breakdown was interrupted by, “Yes. But out here, death is certain. Don’t you want to take the chance you may live?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Do you want sanctuary?”_
> 
> _Dean's scoff echoed in the small room - sheltered from the beating sandstorms of the desert right outside. Before he could retort with a biting comment, hinges squeaked and the stranger pulled open another trap door. He gestured to the passage, “Go ahead.”_
> 
> _Dean peered into the darkness and instantly shook his head, “Fuck no!” It was pitch-black and he could smell death all over again. The smell was almost as bad as the city which he'd escaped. He was suddenly hyper-aware of the peeling, dried blood of his family chaffing his skin. The end of the world had a scent: burning bodies and sulfur._
> 
> _“Why not?” The man tilted his head and squinted, as if Dean was being unreasonable, refusing to dive in at the suggestion of a possibly homicidal stranger. Everything was wrong. Dean was completely alone, Hell was on earth, the world was imploding and now this man was trying to shove him in a hole underground?_
> 
> _“I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what’s down there, I don-”_
> 
> _Dean’s mild breakdown was interrupted by, “Yes. But out here, death is certain. Don’t you want to take the chance you may live?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1/20/15: Currently reading through and editing/adding on to all chapters :) I'll probably write an epilogue that takes place between Hell Of A Long Way Home and Hell Of Your Own Design to tie the two together, as well as announce all chapters have been updated. Just FYI <3

Dean sat there for a while, numb and hallow. He had to will himself to stay still instead of curling inward and rocking back and forth like his body was _pulsing_ to do. Each heart beat had him squeezing his fists tighter and tighter, the red crescent dents against his palms leaking with something wet.

But that was just _it_ \- his heartbeat was the only one in the room.

They were all dead.

He tried to pretend it was some gruesome murder scene from an article back when there had been newspapers and online blogs. His ignorance was trying to convince him that it _wasn’t_ his mom’s blonde hair that had taken a splatter reddish brown hue. That it _wasn’t_ his dad slumped against the wall like a rag doll. That it _wasn’t_ his brother-

\- the sickening, putrid smell in his nostrils made him heave and double over, no longer able to hold himself upright.

That had been the breaking point.

Once he caught sight of the pools of blood now staining his shoes, the flood gates broke and the tears fell.

He was _truly_ alone.

It wasn’t as if death was uncommon; he was surrounded by it every single day. But they had been so careful - so prepared _-_ as a family who was ready to face all the evils that were out there. They hadn’t been ignorant.  They had stockpiled holy water, as much salt as they could carry and could chant exorcisms in their sleep. Instead of prayers to the God that had abandon them, Mary would tuck Sam and Dean in and all three would recite together the Latin verses they couldn’t afford to forget.

Maybe that was why they were targeted.

The shaking was uncontrollable as the sobs shook his body. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, feeling himself sickened again as the cold, lifeless blood coated him.

He wiped the blood from his palms and across his clothing like it was an acid burning him. The color, the smell, everything was suddenly _overwhelming_ and he needed to get away. These soulless husks were no longer his family and the urgency to run was making it hard to breathe.

Dean stumbled out of the room and knew he had to escape - he had to get away from the city. Even if outside the city was a barren wasteland, it was better than being the lone survivor in this hellhole, covered in your family’s blood.

He missed steps on the way out the fire escape, but thankfully his muscle memory wasn’t fucked enough to miss the guard rail. He father had trained him to act on instinct, always be able to defend yourself and _never_ get caught off guard. Apparently, that lesson pertained to stairs, too.

It was a blur of faltering feet, and wrong turns. He dodged in and out of groups of people walking the streets, who’s deadened and jaded faces didn’t seem phased at all by the amount of blood covering Dean. Violence and death surrounded them, and the little bit of society that was still left was numb. Dean was so lucky and had the warmth of family.

Until now.

The wasteland outside was a wash of sand, wind and chaos. It was an empty nothingness, and just where he belonged.

He walked until he couldn’t see the lights or silhouettes of the broken buildings anymore.

He walked for what could have been minutes or hours until he collapsed.

Growing up, his parents had always told him and Sam that they’d be the ones to set things right, that they’d been _born_ for it. Dean believed _every_ word and worked hard everyday to make his parents proud, believing that the brothers were the glimmer of hope in the darkness. After all, when you're a kid, and your parents told you you're a superhero of course you get excited and play the part. That energy follows you throughout life.

He’d been so fucking spirited _,_ but it slowly died when their parents began receiving letters slipped under their door. Dean knew Mary and John were trying to protect them, and the notes weren’t the “ _rent reminders_ ” they claimed. There was always a flash of fear on their faces despite how strong they tried to be for their sons. The letters were tossed into the small fire warming their home every night - before either of the boys could see what they really were. Then the letters started coming more frequently.

Dean should’ve know by then, jerking awake every night to a light tapping coming from the front door. He would exchange looks with Sam, knowing he heard the noise as well, but Mary and her maternal instinct didn’t hesitate with confusion and she moved much faster than they could.

The faint knocks... The letters dropped right outside the salt line... And the fact that when he came home this very night the salt line was scattered and broken.

Once the demons knew their “cattle” were running low, instead of rampages, they played it 'safe' because the human population was scarce. They played it in the form of a game. Stalking out their kill, taunting them with the very letters the Winchesters had received and sparking fear that chilled their very bones.

Maybe they would come after Dean, maybe not. It didn’t _matter_ , he might have well been walking off the edge of the earth, for all he knew. No one could be found this far, he was as good as dead already.

He welcomed it.

He must have drifted off at some point because he felt a dull pain in his side and woke up choking on sand.

A figure loomed over him in the darkness, clearly being the one to kick him awake. Dean’s heart skipped a beat, mind racing to figure out a reason a guard would have followed him out into the wasteland.

He must have been out for a while, because he his clothing was no longer spongy - he could feel the dry blood peeling and flaking off. His sore body was screaming at him as he struggled to stand up to the figure.

The man (he assumed, since they were around the same height) was covered from head to toe in black, blending in to the night and protecting himself from the sand storm. Dean squinted as the dust kept blowing into his eyes, but caught the gesture of the other man to follow. His brain might’ve been fried, but he still had one hell of an internal compass and knew the man was walking even further into the desert. What was he thinking?

“What the hell do you want?” Dean spat at him, voice dry and cracking.

No answer.

He just... continued walking.

Dean grit his teeth, not knowing if the man couldn’t hear him over the wind or if he was deliberately being ignored. Even though he was probably walking to his death, he decided to follow.

That was the basic plan anyway, wasn’t it? He was just... tying up loose ends. And so sue him if he was intrigued. Why not solve one final mystery before dying.

There was hardly any visibility, and Dean had to alternate between shaking steps and awkward jogs just to keep the man in his sight. Where were they going? There was nothing outside the city, yet they kept walking.

That was, until the man stopped abruptly and Dean nearly ran into him. He watch him kneel down and run his fingers through the sand. It was then Dean realized how hard he was already shivering, and knew his body had been pushed to the limit. It wasn’t like he was going to last much longer anyway.

There was a clunk, and the man in front of him had what looked like a handle in his grasp - now sticking out of the sand.

What was that, a bomb shelter or something? In the middle of fucking _nowhere_?

Dean heard the rattling of a key, followed by a grunt and the door swinging open.

The man disappeared inside, and Dean followed him.

There was a hiss of a lighter before a gas lamp lit up the room. Dean was disappointed not to find a bomb shelter or bunker, but a concrete box that barely fit the two of them inside. In fact, he could feel the other man’s heavy breaths against his skin.

The man pulled the cloak-like covering off, and Dean understood why he was so out of breath. The stranger had been hauling a few gallons of water, food, and an array of other small bags strapped to his belt. He offered the water forward but Dean didn’t take it.

Something must have clicked in the man’s mind because the hood hiding him, not only from the wind, but from Dean’s vision was pulled off.

The intensity of blue eyes flickered in the dim light of the gas lamp and were _not_ what Dean had been expecting at all. He was used to seeing all black, beady eyes in the city, and this shade of blue surprised him. In a... good way? Like a breath of fresh air, in a haze of sulfur. 

The man offered the water again, but also asked, “What were you doing out here?”

Apparently, Dean hadn’t been expecting the gruffness of the voice either because he barely managed to stutter out, “I was...” but no matter how many times he started, the memories came flooding back and he couldn’t continue. He couldn't form the words.

Growing impatient, the man continued, “Who are you?”

“Dean.” He slowly accepted the water, still dangling in front of him from the man’s grip.

The second the liquid hit his mouth, he greedily chugged it down, finally feeling a little more human.

“Good. You’re a civilian.”

Dean frowned, he was being tested, it must have been holy water. Even though that was probably all the confirmation needed, he nodded anyway.

The man knelt down to the floor and without looking up asked, “And you want sanctuary?”

The scoff echoed in the small room, but before Dean could retort with a biting comment, hinges squeaked and from his crouched position, the stranger pulled open another trap door. He gestured to the passage, “Go ahead.”

Dean peered into the passage and automatically shook his head, “ _Fuck_ no!” It was pitch-black and he could smell death again.

“Why not?” The man tilted his head and squinted, as if _Dean_ was being unreasonable, refusing to dive into a black hole at the suggestion of a possibly homicidal stranger.

“I don’t know _who_ you are, I don’t know _what’s_ down there, I don-”

Dean’s mild breakdown was interrupted when he was cut off by, “Yes. But out here, death is _certain_. Don’t you want to take the chance you may _live_?”

That was the real question _,_ wasn’t it?

Did he _want_ to live?

Something about this man made a sliver of trust appear in Dean’s mind - something he didn’t think he’d ever feel again. Maybe even hope? No, there was no way that’d ever come back to him. In all honestly, he had nothing left to lose, and that thought won out over anything as positive as trust and hope.

He still audibly gulped though.

The man was holding the rickety wood door open for Dean as he reached down and felt the cold bite of metal ladder rungs just beneath the floor. He hesitantly braced himself against the either side of the wood edges as he began to descend. The deeper he went, the darkness crept further in until he heard the clicks above him to signal the other man was on the ladder now, too.

And that’s when the last, tiny bit of light went out.

Dean knew the guy above him wasn’t messing around, and had to hurry his own pace to keep from getting his stiff hands stepped on.

His shoulders ached.

How many rungs had they passed?

The number seemed endless, and the farther they climbed down the stronger that vile smell of decay became.

There was still no light in sight. They were blind, Dean was completely helpless and began to wonder if he let go, how far would be fall before he reached the bottom? Would there ever be a bottom? Had he died in the desert and this would be his own endless hell, on a constant loop of a fucki-

His thoughts were cut short as his feet fell _off_ the end of the ladder.

A hoarse yelp came from his mouth that he’d deny until his dying day, but he justified the circumstances were a little extreme.

And who knows, this probably was his dying day.

Dean’s grip was tight enough that he was able to hold on, but his legs were flailing in midair and there was no ground in sight.

“Dean, it’s all right. Just below you is water. I’m asking you to drop down and tread water until I get there, can you do that?” The man’s voice was annoyingly calm.

In contrast, Dean’s mind was racing a mile a minute: it was pitch black and if he dove in how would he know up from down and he’d probably end up swimming deeper and deeper until he ran out of oxygen and ended up drowning but it was kind of the same thing as choking on sand but he’d already gotten this far so it would really suck right now if- fuck.  He was rambling in his goddamn head. He needed to center himself, so he pulled himself together for a moment and chose to go with a shaky: “Uhh, I can’t see and haven’t swam in a while...”

“Trust me.”

There were those words again, and dammit, they affected him the same way as earlier.

“I- ... fine,” Dean finished lamely and let his body go still, plunging into the unknown.

It wasn’t long before he was simultaneously submerged in icy water, and heard the loud splash of his own body. It was a shock to his system, not knowing when it was coming with no visual distance to judge by, so he wasn’t able to hold his breath in time. His lungs ached for air as he started swimming in the direction he assumed _(_ prayed _)_ was “up.”

He finally broke the surface gasping, but then another factor that he hadn’t been ready for hit him _._

There was a _current_. And a fucking _intense_ one, at that.

It was pulling him downstream, and Dean wasn’t sure he was strong enough to swim, let alone fight it, so he yelled, “Hurry!”

Not a second after he got the words out, did he hear another loud splash a few feet away from him. It was like he was caught in a different zone, the ether, something - his sight completely useless in the blackness but his other senses shifted into overdrive. The sound of the rushing current, the taste of the stale water, the feel of near-ice surrounding his body and the smell... _God_ , the _smell_...

“Dean, say something so I can swim to you.”

And he was still calm, as if he was talking about the weather.

“I’m a fucking icicle right now, and wish I had known I was gonna get frostbite before I started climbing down th-”

A hand clamped down on his wrist and relief surged over Dean because now all he needed to worry about was staying afloat.

They finally reached the stability of land and the exhaustion finally took over as he climbed the mucky bank. Dean couldn’t get himself to stand, but before he could protest, the other man hoisted him up, a hand around his waist with Dean’s own arm locked over his shoulders. He was so tired, he didn’t care that he found himself leaning further and further into the warmth of the other man while he - more or less - carried all his weight along.

How did he even know where he was going? Dean mused something along the lines of bat-vision and the man being like his childhood hero he read about in comics. It was amazing and soon enough, by some kind of miracle, there was a light faintly glowing in the distance.

Dean was damn impressed, though he wouldn’t say it out loud. He wondered how far underground they were? How this Batman knew his way? But suddenly, as they approached the light, he didn’t even care anymore.

But he _did_ care about one thing.

“What’s your name?”

It barely came out as a question, more of an incoherent mumbled thought that accidentally escaped his mouth.

“Castiel.”

“Hmm,” he leaned further into the warmth that was at his side, “Ya got a last name?”

“Do you?”

“Yeah, but I kinda wanna forget it.”

“I understand. No, I have no last name.”

Dean frowned, but didn’t press anything else. He just pressed in closer, “Fuckin’ icicle, man.”

“When we arrive I’ll get you some dry clothes.”

Another silent few moments and heavy footsteps moved them forward.

“Where are we going, Cas?”

“The Underground.”

“I coulda told you that, where underground?”

“ _The_ Underground,” Castiel repeated, his voice stiff.

Dean mumbled something along the lines of ‘sucha stubborn asshole’ under his breath, but didn’t push it further.

It wasn’t much longer until the tunnel of darkness ended and soon everything was covered in bright lights. Maybe that was the final shock to his system, the overwhelming relief and surprise, combined to his brain attempting to comprehend what was even happening that overloaded him.

But _right_ before he passed out, he was able to catch that beautiful shade of blue again, hoping he wouldn’t have to see black for the rest of his life _._


	2. The Underground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Dean wadded up the sopping clothing and threw it across the room like he was shooting a free throw. The majority of the clothing made it into the bin._
> 
> _Majority, because in the air, one of his socks had come loose and landed on Castiel’s shoulder with a distinct, “Splat.”_
> 
> _Castiel glanced to the offending socks, plucked it from his shoulder, tossed it in the bin and without missing a beat, went back to whatever he was doing._
> 
> _Dean was conflicted between being mortified of hitting his rescuer with a dirty sock, and laughing because of how stoic he was in response._
> 
> _Like dirty laundry attacks him everyday._
> 
> _“I’m unimpressed,” the brunette woman stated, getting his attention again. “But you can call me Meg. And this ginger is Anna.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/26/15

To say the world was in shambles was an understatement. Dean had only known the world as it used to be for a mere fifteen years. He remembered long road trips in the car with his family. He remembered listening to cheerful people on the radio talk about celebrity gossip. He remembered happy faces, Taco Bell, and sneaking out of the house late at night to visit cute girls.

Now it was different.

There were no cars. No cities. No celebrities. No happy faces at all.

Now it was hell.

And that was no exaggeration.  

He knew (much after the fact) that his parents had been hunters who'd retired to start a family. So they knew right away when something went terribly _wrong_.

They saw the signs, it started with strange weather and dead live stock, but that was only the beginning. Society began collapsing as a whole, demons running rampant through the cities, and if John and Mary hadn’t been the hunters  they were, their family would have been torn apart and dead within months. Knowing that this couldn’t be avoided, they all set out on one final road trip to Sioux Falls to an old friend... who had a panic room. They were armed to the teeth and drove as fast as they could. They would pull off in remote locations to fill up with the gas cans they’d already secured in the trunk because being in the chaos of the actual gas stations wasn’t an option now: not if they wanted to survive.

They hadn’t told Sam and Dean much at first, sticking to back roads and shielding the boys from the violence that surrounded them. It wasn’t until Sam demanded why they didn’t stop when they saw a man screaming for help _,_  while getting beaten along the side of the road, that Mary calmly told him that something bad was happening.

Dean immediately realized how serious it was then, and took it upon himself to keep his distraught brother busy with hand-held video games. It was also to keep him from looking up at a few side streets littered with dead bodies even he himself was having to shield his eyes from. At first, Dean thought it may be the zombie apocalypse, and privately congratulated himself on how prepared he probably would be for this. Maybe that's what he told himself, to make looking at an actual rotting corpse, at the age of fifteen, somewhat ... all right?

The real problem was nothing he could have prepared for.

Once they arrived at Bobby Singer’s, an old friend of mom’s, they were ushered downstairs and locked the iron-clad door behind them. Mary and John were hesitant to let the boys listen to the conversation at first, but Bobby gruffly stated they’d find out soon anyway, and they needed to _‘_ git educated, fast _.’_

Dean and Sam liked Bobby.

Sam would ask Dean questions about what the old coot had said every night.  Sam never quite understood what was going on. He didn't blame him, it was a lot to take in, especially for a kid Sam's age. Dean was patient with him, especially since it took him a while to comprehend everything himself.

There was something called a “Devil’s Gate” that had started the entire mess. Bobby kept sending hunter after hunter to try to fix the problem, but not a single one was heard from again. And that’s when all Hell broke lose. Literally.

The Devil’s Gate was opened, a direct link to Hell, and no one was there to stop it. Demons flooded Earth with abandon and took advantage of their newly found freedom. All of them escaped, leaving Hell empty and Lucifer free to walk the Earth.

 _That_ was the part that Dean couldn’t accept when he was younger, the angels and demons part of it, because that begged the question: where was God?

It was all hearsay (no one knowing for sure) but one of the first things the demons did once they’d escaped was search for these tablets. Allegedly, the tablets had spells on them that caused the angels to fall from heaven.

Dean didn’t believe it. He chalked it up to the Christians making excuses for why their God wasn’t saving them, it was damn easy to explain, “Well, the demons made the angels fall, and now they can‘t save us like they want to.”

Dean also didn’t believe that Lucifer had taken all the angel’s graces, leaving them powerless to help.

So Dean didn’t believe in angels. But he sure as shit believed in the Devil.

Lucifer appointed a right-hand woman, as it were, a cruel, heartless creature named Abaddon. She was efficient putting together a military, and made a barricade around the US so no one could escape. But cities burned, the population was massacred and the barricade kept closing more and more. Lucifer was unhappy with such slaughter, which was cutting down on his future 'playthings’ but wasn’t interested enough to do anything about it. Until there was a _new_ threat.

Previous to the Devil’s Gate opening, there was a King of Hell, plotting and biding his time before he could get his power back. He took an unusual yet bold approach: in the form of Purgatory. He devoured all the souls of monsters past and was finally a contender for power. However, Lucifer and Abaddon weren’t going to be stopped that easily. Instead, they made a “deal” with the King of the Crossroads and decided to split the power and the kingdom.

Together, they were called The Trilogy.

The only problem was that on that rampage, most of the world burned, and now they were (all three) stuck together, doomed to argue while what they used to call 'demon signs’ wrecked havoc on all desolate, useless land outside their kingdom. Hurricanes ate at the coasts, tornadoes spun through the destruction, and suddenly a black-hole like phenomenon replaced the freak weather. A newly-formed desert was slowly eating up what was left of civilization, little by little.

Purgatory was gone. Hell was on earth, and Dean didn’t think there was a Heaven to begin with.

But now...

This was the first time, in nearly ten years that people looked... _Happy_.

The Underground was a formal title, Castiel explained, after he woke Dean up from a brief fainting spell. If asked, Dean would vehemently deny he did anything “as girly as fainting, just a little exhaustion was all.“ This was an underground city where the oppressed people gathered and lived without the Trilogy knowing of their existence.

There were smiles and laughter in this little refuge, and it was _real_.

Dean’s parents had pretended to be happy but he knew it was all an act and a failed try at optimism for the good of their children.

Dean frowned as he looked around, his mind attempting to comprehend what the hell was happening. He was still being half-carried by the blue eyed man, who’s wild, dark hair kept brushing against his face and Dean wanted to bat it away. But he couldn’t bring himself to. He was numb, _really_ didn’t want to walk by himself, yet still didn’t want to seem ungrateful by complaining.

He got fucking lucky.

What if he hadn’t wandered out into the desert in a moment of insanity?

If he hadn’t been on that trail right when Castiel was headed to the hidden door?  He would undoubtedly be dead by now.

What if he hadn’t given up all hope... only to _find_ it?

Surprisingly, in this moment, he was glad he was alive. If only to see this well-kept secret and feel the tangible positive energy he thought was lost forever.

They stumbled through what looked to be a market place, with little huts and even small carts filled to the brim of goods they were selling. A few nodded at Castiel but didn’t pay Dean any attention, even though he was soaked to the bone in dirty river water and covered in old blood. Come to think of it, everyone they passed had probably been there themselves. Some kind of rite of passage through the river to make it underground. Dean mused about how many people didn't make it...

Dean took in the sights until they reached a large cement building off one far corner of the market. Instead of the flaps of the small huts, this one had doors. As they entered, the lighting was dimmer than the bright artificial lights outside, and he could swear he could hear the rushing of water.

Or maybe that was his first sign of PTSD.

They passed through a hallway and three more doors until they opened something that looked like a lounge - or a make-shift apartment. As the last one opened, two sets of eyes flew to the pair stumbling through. Castiel merely nodded a greeting to them and then told Dean without inflection, “Get undressed before you get hypothermia.”

Dean balked at the statement, and could feel his face getting red as he was released (dumped from Cas' grip) onto an old-school futon someone probably had in college. Not _only_ was he just ordered to get naked, he was ordered to do it in front of tall, dark and heroic and two random hot chicks. He wasn’t sure if this made his day better or worse.

Had Dean the strength, on a good day, he would have muttered something about ‘buying a guy dinner first.’

No one batted an eye at the instructions and after figuring, what the hell, Dean pulled his sopping shirt off and looked around for a place to discard it. Castiel took it wordlessly and threw it into an empty bin near the doorway. He then busied himself with removing his own cloak and setting the items he had tucked away onto a desk in the corner.

A visible shiver shot through Dean and before he knew it, a towel hit him square in the face. He was proud of himself for barely jerking, and whipped his head around to catch one of the woman smirking impishly.

Her chocolate brown hair framed her face in waves and highlighted that mischievous expression perfectly. Her arms were crossed and her posture cocky, and... Dean couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something _off_ about her. It couldn’t be too malice, as the first sugar-coated words out of her mouth were a sing-song, “Keep it moving, stud. We didn’t order a sensual strip-tease today.”

Dean frowned but kept his mouth shut, using the towel first to dry his hair and chest before anymore ‘strip-teasing’ happened. He dared a glance at the woman standing next to the sassy brunette and was greeted by a smiling face, but strangely _dead_ eyes. Her hair was the picture of dulled flames, captured back and tied at the nape of her neck. Dean would have found himself hitting on her immediately had the circumstances been different and she didn’t look so oddly... inhuman.

His eyes bounced back and forth between the matching outfits they were clothed in. Not outfits. Uniforms. Well-loved and held together by haphazard stitches and mismatched shades of navy, patch-work fabric. If maintained and not falling apart they would have looked like respectable officers, and with their confident demeanor: they appeared like lieutenants in an army. Was Castiel a part of this small militia?

Dean stopped his obvious gawking and, after shooting both women a wink, pulled the rest of his clothes off. Then he, just-as-quickly, wrapped the towel around his waist. He wadded up the sopping clothing and threw it across the room like he was shooting a free throw. The majority of the clothing made it into the bin.

 _Majority_ , because in the air, one of his socks had come loose and landed on Castiel’s shoulder with a distinct, 'Splat.'

Castiel glanced to the offending socks, plucked it from his shoulder, tossed it in the bin and, without missing a beat, went back to whatever he was doing.

Dean was conflicted with being mortified of hitting his rescuer with a dirty sock and laughing because of how stoic he was in response.

Like dirty laundry attacks him every day.

“I’m unimpressed,” the brunette stated, getting his attention again. “But you can call me Meg. And this ginger is Anna.”

Before Dean could respond, Meg slinked towards Castiel, more focused on what he was setting up on the counter.

Dean’s attentions followed.

“So, Clarence, what presents have you brought this Christmas?” She set a hand on his shoulder and peeked at the small pouches.

“It’s November, Christmas won’t be-”

“Shhh,” Meg raised a finger to his lips to silence him and then untied the string around one of the items, “Stop being adorable and start with the presentation.”

He nodded and began pushing the bags into groups on the wood surface. Anna took that as her cue to join, and stood silently on Castiel’s other side.

“Above ground, some of their scientists have been developing new crops that need very little water to survive because the supply is dwindling. I was able to gather the seeds of the latest product, and when I...” he glanced quickly and noted Dean was, indeed, listening, “ _inquired_ as to the nutritious value of the crop I was assured that although it’s bland it meets the daily requirement of protein and iron,” there was another pause and a solemn, “I’ve confirmed the livestock is now extinct and this is their 'solution.’ We need to get these to Garth and Kevin immediately and begin growth.”

Anna nodded and for the first time spoke up with, “I’ll handle that now,” placed a dozen of the bags in a satchel that had been hanging at her side and without hesitation made her exit.

Meg continued exploring the new items as Castiel retreated out to the hallway. She unwrapped five more things that looked _nothing_ like seeds and set them in a cluster in the center. Dean could only make out some kind of crystal, powder and a flash of something green. Lastly, she took her time unwrapping a thick fabric which unwound to reveal a silver blade and two more smaller knives with symbols Dean vaguely recognized (from a book in Bobby's study) carved into the handle.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Meg called out into the hall, “This may be one of the _best_ Christmas’s _ever_.”

Boots clicked along the floor until Castiel came back in the room, buttoning up a uniform matching Meg and Anna’s.

“I don’t understand, Christmas isn’t until-”

Meg ran a hand through his unruly, still-damp hair and ruffled it until it looked even _more_ ridiculous. He sighed and pushed her aside to bring Dean a folded set of clothes. He gladly took them and must have developed a staring problem because he unabashedly took in Castiel’s new appearance and wasn’t disappointed _at all_. His uniform was impossibly more destroyed and then reconstructed than the girls. That also meant because of the messy repairs, the stitching had tailored it more tightly to what Dean now realized was a very, _very_ fit body. He didn’t know how obviously he was checking the man out until his eyes finally met those rich blue ones that looked slightly confused, accented with a small tilt of the head.

Yep, staring problem in full effect.  Because he couldn’t tear his eyes away once they locked together.

Meg piped back up, “Seriously, how did you get these?”

He turned his back to the newcomer, giving him a little more privacy to change. Even though Dean busied himself with redressing, he could hear the forced reply of the man's gravely voice, “With much difficulty.”

As Dean pulled on his pants, he could hear the concern as Meg asked, “You’re all right though?”

“Relatively.”

She didn’t pry any further and changed the subject. “How is it above ground?”

“Dusty. The edge of the desert is still miles away, but I’m concerned some of the markers we use for missions to the Empire will be swallowed up soon and make navigation difficult.” Dean turned around just as Castiel pulled one more item out from the desk drawer and set it in the middle with the things Meg had gathered together. “At least we have all the ingredients for the water purification spell so we can use the river soon. Hopefully we won’t need many missions in the future.”

“ _Hopefully_ being the key word,” Meg scoffed. “So, when are you planning on telling me who your rescue pup is?”

“His name is Dean. I found him lost on the outskirts of town.”

“Why was he there?”

“Hey, I _am_ right here, ya know,” Dean finally interrupted and both changed their focus to him. “And I think that’s my business, not yours, sweetheart.”

“Ungrateful, much?” Meg shot him a glare and marched over.

For a second, Dean almost thought she was going to slap him, but instead she raised her hand to his face then closed her eyes. A shudder raked through his body and his vision went blurry for a second before she pulled back. Suddenly, there were five of her all wearing the same dark expression. He was stumbling as five became four, then three were huffing a breath before she shoved him back down to the futon with too much strength for such a delicate arm.

The ceiling was spinning but her words still reached him in bits and pieces:

_You’re such a bleeding heart, Clarence-_

_-family murdered-_

_-suicide watch on this one and-_

Dean jerked up from the futon wide eyed and gaping.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Meg.” Castiel sighed and pulled out a bowl from the cabinet underneath the desk drawers.

She snickered to herself, “What’s the fun of having a little gift if I don’t get to use it? Not that I don’t trust your judgment, I just enjoy a little bit of dirt and gossip. Even though my mood is rather ruined from the tragic cutie over here,” she looked _almost_ apologetic. “Sorry about that. Glad you found us, at least.”

“What the _fuck_ was that?!” Dean’s words came out hoarse when he finally came back to himself.

“Like I said,” Meg shrugged her shoulders, “Just a little _gift_.”

Dean was too distracted by the low chanting and small glimmers of light coming from the bowl Castiel was currently tossing things into to snap a retort. He stared at the man’s back as small puffs of smoke joined the low flashes and Meg pulled him back to his feet. Dean followed like something was drawing him in, as Meg joined Castiel on one side and pulled out a dagger from her pocket. She wrapped her hand around it and didn’t even flinch when she pulled it out of her closed fist - a trickle of red followed. Dean watched as it dripped into the bowl, then Castiel held his hand out to the woman. He kept chanting and didn’t miss a beat while she sliced his palm and held it steadily over the bowl, too.

“Your turn, Deano,” Meg gestured for Dean to give her his hand next and when he hesitated, she groaned out loudly, “It’s time to earn your keep, payback for the rescue.”

It wasn’t Meg’s snarky request that made him reach forward, but one glance at Castiel’s focused concentration made him realize, _yeah_ , she was right. He may not owe a damn thing to this new chick, but he couldn’t deny he did owe _Castiel_.

Dean grimaced as Meg drew the blade - none to gently - over his skin, and after a minute, held out a cloth to wrap the wound. She didn’t look apologetic in the slightest and went as far as to blow a kiss. He was really starting to hate her. He tore his eyes away from her and looked into the bowl as the blood mixed together and the herbs that were at the bottom _sizzled_ and released more of a lingering fog than pluming smoke.

He had only witnessed blood magic once before: as part as some kind of summoning Bobby had done back in Sioux Falls. After that, if performed and caught in the act, it was immediately punishable by death under the new rulers. No one took the chance. The power and force he felt radiating from the spell work made Dean’s heart pound, the memory of the one time he’d saw it was blurry, at best. He hadn’t been expecting this.

The pulse of his heart was strong enough to feel like the room was shaking in time with the beats _-_  and he had to grab the edge of the desk to keep steady.

There was a bright burst of light that made Dean stagger back. Then, after a few deep breathes, Castiel stated, “The barriers are fortified. Thank you for your assistance, Dean.”

But his words were getting fuzzy again...

“Dean? Are you all right?” Castiel reached out in an attempt to ground him, but the man dropped to the floor like a sack of rocks.

Something was _burning_ \- something that made the wound on his hand feel like an annoying  _itch_. His stomach rolled like the fucking ocean and something...

... Something felt like it was bubbling up _inside_ him...

Some kind of white-hot heat was scorching him, bone-deep into his goddamn _marrow_ , and Dean had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming.

His hands scrambled blindly over the rough tiles, reaching out, searching for something to hold onto.

Dean _needed_ something solid to make him feel like he wasn’t slipping away _._

He finally grabbed that something and clung to it, as the pain started tearing up his throat and a cough left him choking on a wave of blood.

He _couldn’t breathe-_

\- he kept hacking and spitting up more and more red until he felt the burning rise-

“Dean!”

Hands were on his shoulders, bracing him, but his vision was clouded by a river of tears.

_\- it was too much, it was-_

He grabbed his throat as he started choking, and heaving, it started scraping.

 _Shredding_.

Ripping its way up, higher and higher.

Someone shook him hard and then there was a blinding flash that erupted from his mouth.

He couldn’t see, he heard the shout, “Meg! Internment circle!”

“What the _fuck_ -”

“ _Now_!”

A high-pitched ringing shot through the room, accompanied by the crashing sounds of something breaking.

He felt like he was underwater.

Everything was muddled -

\- everything was spotty and the eerie combination of light and dark-

\- he smelled sage, sulfur, and a mix of his own blood then-

\- he could see the ceiling again.

The light faded and he was flat on his back. His head rolled to the side and through the haze he thought he saw a dome? - a dome of grey smoke trapping a shining, beautiful, ball of light _._

Meg was covered in sweat, body shaking as she held her hands over the trapped energy with that grey smoke hissing out of her body.

Castiel was by her side in a flash, tearing the wound on his hand back open and dragging his bleeding palm into sigils around the mass. He was fast on his feet, grabbing what could have been a vile from the desk drawer and lifting it high above his head.

He chanted out a rushed verse and shattered the glass on the top of the dome and watched it rain down along the sides.

Another burst of light and suddenly -

\- the vile was whole, floating right above Castiel’s hand, glimmering an impossible color words couldn't describe.

There was a look of awe on his face, his jaw hanging open but he finally shook it off and snatched the captured energy in his hand.

The dome was gone and Meg was crouched on the floor, struggling to catch her breath as well as _breathe in_ the smoke that was surrounding her. She was sucking it in through her nose and her mouth desperately and as it seeped back in Dean recognized it.

He has seen it back before hell was still locked behind the Devil’s Gate.

He had seen it back when exorcisms had actually worked.

“We need to contact the others immediately,” Castiel’s voice was almost reverent and his eyes wouldn’t leave the glowing glass.

But Dean could tear his eyes away from _Castiel_.

He heard a staggering click of heels approach him and he jerked to see Meg kneeling over him. Her hand was reaching towards him as she mumbled an exhausted, “See you soon, Mr. Tragedy,” and the moment her fingertips brushed his forehead, everything went black.


	3. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“'And so it shall pass, that through the wreckage, a final hope shall emerge when the blood of a fallen angel, a humane demon and the Righteous Man combine.’” Meg quoted with a smirk. “Never thought I’d live to see the day.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super-plot heavy, action soon to come!
> 
> Updated 1/29/15

After locking the vial behind an iron vault, and drawing countless sigils around it, Castiel took a deep breath and turned around to the beginnings of the group Meg had ran to gather. He steeled his nerves and waited for the last of them to trickle in. The first arrivals were patient and lounged around the room casually, and it wasn’t until Gabriel, the final one, burst through the door with a wide grin and boisterous inquiry of, “Soooo what’s in the box?” that he knew it was time.

“It might be better to start from the beginning,” Meg was thoroughly exhausted, drained of energy and practically collapsed into the chair she took at the back of the room.

Gabriel whistled, “Oh Meggy, what’s got you limping like a two dollar whore after going-out-of-business sale?”

“Can it, shorty.” She was in no mood to play now, especially after everything that had happened.

“OK, Cas, we’re ready whenever you are!” A redhead named Charlie flashed a brilliant, encouraging smile knowing that it was important to steer clear of blood shed. Some day’s it was hard working with such a diverse, and volatile group, and by that, she meant _all days_.

When Castiel didn’t begin right away, Anna’s cool voice cut through the crowd where she was seated next to Meg in the back, “Does this have something to do with the man you brought in today?”

He nodded, his lips pressed together tightly, “It does.”

“An adoption gone wrong?” Another woman asked with a splash of sarcasm.

“No, Jo, not at all. Something might be going _right_ , for a change.”

A hush fell over the crowd until Garth groaned, “The suspense is killing me!”

“On my way back from my mission, I came across a young man, administered the usual tests and brought him the rest of the way with me. He was exhausted and had... given up, but I still saw this _fight_ in him and knew all he needed was a little help-”

“-I pried into his pretty head and found out his family was recently slaughtered by the Trilogy army after a surprisingly lengthy amount of foreplay. The soldiers had a lot of fun with these ones and let’s just say... It wasn’t pretty,” Meg added in, and blew a kiss to Castiel’s glowering face. “Just trying to make sure they’re getting the full picture, Clarence. Can't leave anything out.”

“And make sure we don’t fall asleep, Mr. Roboto,” Gabriel added. "Meg has a way with words that keeps things _exciting_."

Castiel tried to calm his nerves, remembering these were friends and comrades and this was _not_ the time to lecture them. There were much more important things at stake. “Moving forward, Anna, Kevin and Garth set to tend to the new crops, while Meg and I readied the purification ingredients and we refreshed the cloaking spell for the Underground, but right when we were finished, something... happened.”

Taking a deep breath, and looking out to make sure everyone was paying attention, Castiel continued, “He reacted to it. It wasn’t a reaction due to exhaustion or the spell, anyone who has helped with a cloaking spell in the past knows it’s nothing more strenuous then a cut on the hand but it... It was different. He collapsed and was overcome with seizures. To answer your question, Gabriel, inside the box is the last scrap of grace that exists in the entire world, free of Lucifer‘s hands.”

“What?!” Gabriel barked out, “He’s an angel? An angel that wasn’t effected during the fall?!”

“' _And so it shall pass, that through the wreckage, a final hope shall emerge when the blood of a fallen angel, a humane demon and the righteous man combine._ ’” Meg quoted with a smirk. “Never thought I’d live to see the day.”

“What are you talking about?” Jo demanded, practically leaping to her feet. “A Righteous Man? What the hell does that mean!?”

Castiel and Meg glanced at each other before the demon said, “It was the final prophecy before the prophet, Chuck, was killed and a spell was performed to make the prophets extinct. Needless to say, the Trilogy didn’t exactly want word to get out.”

“Then how did _you_ know?” Anna’s voice was cool - despite the frenzy that was slowly bubbling up in the room.

“It was one of the last things I heard before getting the hell out of there and ditching Lucifer's army. Only Castiel knew about it because when I first arrived, all of you were mildly disgusted with my presence, we didn’t think you’d take kindly to the ‘lies of a demon.’ You wouldn’t have believed me even if I told you,” she matched Anna’s cold look and raised an eyebrow, “Were we wrong?”

“Why didn’t it come up after you ‘proved yourself?’” Kevin countered immediately, he hated the idea of being kept in the dark about something so monumental.

“I didn’t think I would be ideal to inspire false hope. We’ve been striving to accept reality, and if the demons knew, we assumed they’d make it a top priority to kill this Righteous Man before he could even emerge,” they all knew Castiel had a point. “When I heard it, I told Meg to keep it to herself. But now, maybe there’s a reason for hope.”

Meg snorted, “Yeah, if he can get his shit together and become strong enough to use the only weapon and chance we have before the world implodes on itself. Not looking to good right n-”

“He _will_ be strong enough,” Castiel snapped. “If it was prophesized, it _will_ happen.”

The room was silent, until Charlie meekly raised her hand and asked, “So... what happens now?”

“We can’t tell him. No doubt he’ll crumble under the pressure,” was the demon’s answer.

“We train him. We help him along the way, continue what we’re doing, here and now. When the time comes, we’ll know.” Castiel leveled a glower to every single individual in the room. “Do I make myself clear? We keep to our jobs, keep to our plans. _No one_ can know about the prophecy, not until we know we have a fighting chance. We don’t need the chaos, what we have accomplished, for now, is enough.”

“My, my,” Gabriel leaned forward in his chair and crossed his legs, “My little brother, hardened by the world yet still so full of faith.”

“Don’t patronize him,” Anna stalked over to her other ‘brother’s’ side, “He has never led us astray, we will respect his orders.”

“Fine,” the man raised his hands in surrender in front of him, “Do what you gotta do. Best wishes, and all that. Now - if we’re done here?”

Castiel nodded, “Yes, you‘re dismissed. I need to check on Dean, now.”

Everyone moved to stand and hesitantly go their separate ways. Besides Jo. She walked forward to Cas with caution and nonchalantly pushed her hands in her pockets. It was forced, though, and Castiel knew it right away.

“Yes, Jo?”

She bit her lip, “You said his name was Dean?”

The man raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“It’s just-” she drew in a slow, steadying breath. “I knew... above ground, I mean... I knew a Dean. Can I see him? I know the odds are fucking ridiculous _,_ but if it is him-”

“Of course.” His eyes softened a little, “Just remember what we talked about, if it’s him or not, we need to maintain our secret.”

She nodded quickly, “Of course! I mean, I hope it’s him because if everything you’re saying, you know, about the prophesy and our last chance or whatever, if it is him, I may actually have hope again.”

Her smile was contagious and it quirked a small grin on his lips as well, “Follow me.”

\-----

Castiel walked quietly down the hallway and Jo tried to keep her footsteps as silent as possible, even though there was a heady anxiety forming in her gut. Once they arrived outside Castiel’s room, he nodded to Jo and slowly opened the door. She prepared herself, for disappointment _or_  elation, and took a look inside.

That moment in time froze, until she wordlessly stepped back outside and shut the door again.

Castiel looked at her inquisitively, and knew the answer once her hands flew over her mouth and she collapsed to her knees in the hallway.

“Holy fuck,” came the first muffled words from her slumped position on the ground.

Castiel had never been very good at comforting people - in fact, he was downright terrible at it - but crouched along side her and looked imploringly into her eyes, “I take it - it’s the Dean you know?”

She took a deep breath and let her hands fall down to her sides, “Yeah… oh my God, Castiel, you said.. . Mary, John... _Sam_? They’re all dead?”

He felt his heart clench at the sight of her unshed tears, “Yes, that’s what Meg said. Very recently.”

“And just when I thought I’d gotten used to death,” she laughed humorlessly, “I... grew up with them. They were like a second family. Before all this happened and, well, after _,_ too. They used to be hunters and helped my mom and me- I don’t know, survive? Prepare us, train us. We wouldn’t have made it without them. Fuck.”

Castiel awkwardly, but sincerely, placed his hand on her shoulder, “Then... think of this as a joyous reunion, and don’t mourn. The good of seeing him should outweigh the bad.”

She shook her head, “Somehow - I’m not surprised. That he’ll be the one to save us, you know? He’s always been - like, a light in the darkness. Shit, this is just so surreal.”

Castiel glanced at the closed door and let his thoughts wander... he let himself muse about the man just behind it, “Yes, he’s stronger than I first gave him credit for, I believe.”

Jo placed her hand over top of Castiel’s to get his attention, “I don’t... just, the Dean _I_ know. You _can’t_ bring up the angels, Cas. He’d never believe you. He’ll get frustrated and call you a liar and break down before he can even get his shit together. He’s never had faith, never had any reason to.”

Something in Castiel’s chest hurt, but he understood the meaning behind her words.

There weren’t a lot of believers left, even among the fallen.

“I understand. Thank you.”

He took her hand and pulled them both to their feet.

“Are you ready?”

\-----

“-an?”

“Dean?”

He recognized the voice immediately but didn’t have it in him to open his eyes yet. It was soothing, in a way, but once a softer voice began calling his name, something else hit him, and _hard_.

Nostalgia.

Old memories from a childhood he had hoped to block out.

A hand, much smaller than Castiel’s, brushed sweat-soaked hairs off his forehead and lingered. Soothing strokes along the side of his face slowly coaxed him into opening his eyes. A wide smile, waves of blonde hair and happy eyes greeted him and for a second he was confused.

“Fuck, am I dead?” His voice was strained and sounded foreign to his own ears.

“Nah, but you look like it.”

“Okay, good, 'cause I know if I died, there's no way you’d be an angel.”

He laughed as a playful smack landed on his arm, “Still charming as ever.”

“Still feisty as I remember.” He tried to sit up in the wake of Jo's taunt, but she pushed him right back down.

“You need to rest, I can tell you’re exhausted. God - it’s so good to see you,” she didn’t even hesitate to lunge on top of him and wrap her arms around him.

He was a little slow to return the embrace, but once he did, he had to ask, “Jo, how did you know I was here?”

She tensed for a second, and pulled away. Before she could respond, a voice asked:

“How are you feeling, Dean?”

Dean looked over her shoulder to see Castiel leaning in the door frame.

Jo muttered something quick about being back after he rested more, and hurried out of the room to leave the two alone.

Dean sighed, “You know, as good as I could be, considering I just fucking birthed a fucking fireball out of my throat. What the hell happened, Cas?”

Castiel shifted on his feet and shrugged his shoulders, “I’m - not quite sure. A lot of strange phenomena have been happening these days, but I’ll ask around.”

Dean wasn’t convinced, and didn’t hide it.

“Okay, so if that was a ’strange phenomena,’ how about the other elephant in the room, your _demon_ girlfriend, Meg?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” was Castiel’s bland reply.

“You kind of missed the point,” Dean glared, “Demon? In your little safe haven? _Hello_?”

And, honest to God, he wasn’t expecting a casual, “Hello, Dean,” followed by, “She’s in 'demon recovery' and has dubbed me her 'sponsor,'” using actual air-quote gestures. “She wanted nothing to do with the Empire and escaped, same as you.”

“And you just trust her, simple as that?”

“She’s more than proved herself.”

Instead of fighting about it, he figured he’d change the subject, “I’m guessing because your soaked clothes are just piled up over there, this is your little getaway at headquarters?”

The man nodded, “I wanted to make sure you were comfortable during your recovery. I’ll be able to monitor you here until we can get you set up in your own room.”

“Is that creepy, flasher trench coat over there yours too?” Dean raised an eyebrow and gestured to the tan atrocity draped over a chair, “Because I may be rethinking my rescuer’s true intentions.”

“I can assure you when I brought you here I-”

“Relax, Cas,” the grin that spread across Dean’s face made the tension fade, “I’m teasing.”

He nodded, but hesitated when Dean patted the mattress beside him.

“C’mon, I’m not sitting up, so get on my level. You’re being weird.”

As stiff as a statue, Castiel sat on the very edge of the bed with his hands folded in his lap. Dean shouldn’t have found it as cute as he did, but the sight of this full grown, solider slash fearless hero of a rebel group, being awkward and straight up... _dorky_ , was, yeah, pretty adorable.

Dean tried to roll over a little and managed to prop himself up on his side.

“So... How long has the Underground been around?”

The change of subject did nothing to relax the man’s posture. If anything, he seemed more tense.

He cleared his throat anyway, “It’s been almost a decade now. Well, we have been fully functional for almost five years, but this place has been a refuge for nearly ten.”

“A refuge? But the Trilogy only came into power seven years ago, and you’re pretty close to the Empire’s hot spot.” Dean answered back, a bit confused about the logistics.

“Our base was more or less a coincidence.” Castiel looked thoughtfully towards Dean, “How much of the story do you want to know?”

Dean broke the stare again and shrugged, his voice surprisingly small, “As much as you want to tell me.”

Castiel looked forward again and hunched ever so slightly in his seat. Dean rolled his eyes and batted the other man from where he was laying on the bed, earning him a confused glance.

“Hey, buddy, if this is story time or something, you can kick back and relax. I can already tell this’ll be a doozy.”

He nodded slowly, “Yes, I suppose you can call it a ‘doozy.’”

“Then cut the solider boy and get comfortable. You’re stressing me out.”

Castiel honestly appeared at a loss, but - after taking notes from Dean’s demeanor - he carefully toed off his shoes and scooted a little further onto the bed. Dean flashed a smirk, but nodded with his head that seemed to say, ‘keep going.’ He removed the jacket of his uniform, folded it carefully and drew his legs together so they crossed on the bed.

“Eh, good enough. Still needs some work though,” he teased and scooted forward a bit himself.

“I’m not used to sitting on a mattress. I only use it for sleeping,” Castiel muttered and his frown softened a bit.

“Only for sleeping?" Dean wiggled his eyebrows, which earned him a blank stare.  So, seeing as how Castiel was a stick-in-the-mud, he changed his approach, "You’re the one who wanted me to take it, you’re not allowed to pout.”

“I’m not pouting.”

“Brooding, then. Sulking, maybe.” Dean smirked.

“You’re just coming up with synonyms that-”

“Story time, Cas?” Dean grabbed the other man’s knee and shook it a little bit for emphasis, “Focus.”

Castiel actually forced out a small chuckle, but that’s all it was: _forced_.

“Yes, the base was more of less, like I said, a coincidence. I used to be part of a much bigger group, a garrison, and we found ourselves in an unfathomable situation.” You could actually see how carefully he was choosing his word. “My comrades were a very proud and elite group and then something happened that was completely out of our control.”

“Yeah, the apocalypse does that to people.” Dean said humorlessly, “What were you guys? Marines? Navy?”

“Ang-” the words were on the tip of his tongue but changed quickly to, “Air force.”

“I _knew_ you were military - just get that vibe from you. I bet it sucked to be grounded when all this happened,” there was sympathy in his voice.

“A huge understatement,” Cas’ reply was cold and bitter. “But we were all in this together, battle-trained, all without our wings - so we tried to fight. To fix things.”

“We knew right away that we needed a... ‘base of operations’ and we knew the chaos was going to accelerate so we needed to get somewhere we could regroup. Somewhere hidden. Somewhere away from the demons. They were all celebrating finally being able to be on Earth, so we figured the one place they wouldn’t want to go is _down._ And we chose the Devil’s favorite city. Hiding in plain sight, if you will. We searched for bunkers, subway tunnels, bomb shelters, but nothing we found was large enough to hold us.”

“Wait, to hold _all_ of you? Like, the _entire_ US Air Force?”

“We’re a-” Castiel was never very creative, “-a tight-knit group.”

Dean raised an eyebrow, but didn’t respond.

“As close as we were, the casualties were more than we bargained for, and we needed to find a place quickly,” Cas’ knuckles were going white against the old uniform jacket he had placed in his lap. “Now this city is the Empire, and all we know. It's all that's left. But do you remember what it was, before all of this happened? Before the Devil’s Gate opened and there were still states and cities?”

He frowned, trying to think back to maps and geography in school before any of it ceased to matter anymore.

“Michigan, right?”

“And more specifically?”

Dean looked up to meet Castiel’s gaze and hesitantly guessed, “Detroit?”

“Yes,” Cas looked downright pleased, “Lucifer had always been partial to it and we knew he’d rule his kingdom from here. The other two powers just happened to be stuck along side him in negotiations when the natural disasters began. It was really luck that we’d chosen here to create our own base.”

“But where did you find room for your BFF Air Force Club?”

“I don’t know how far back you remember, but in the early 19th century-”

“Cas!” Dean interrupted, “Enough with the geography and history lessons, I never even finished high school.”

“My apologies,” he kept going, “The history I was referring to, that was a prominent part of Detroit’s heritage was The Underground Railroad.”

Realization dawned on Dean’s face, “Like, slaves running to freedom? I thought that was mostly safe houses and small tunnels?”

“For the most part it was. But historians made some of the actual underground routes into exhibits and tourist attractions. We found the idea to be serendipitous and took to these abandon venues and… fleshed them out. We made sure there was only one way in, and one way out. The way we entered used to be a man hole to the sewers, within the city,” Castiel explained, “We built our own tunnel from there into the old museums and added other things, electricity, a green house for food, anything else we could add to make it our own livable, independent ecosystem. A perfect bomb shelter, that prepared for the worst.”

Dean nodded and was pretty impressed, “Yeah, all of that’s damn awesome. Except for the annoying river part of it.”

“Yes, that happened during the natural disasters and construction. The Earth shifted, and there were many explosions that moved the previous course of the river, but now it actually works in our favor and adds an extra element of… protection.” A smile slowly grew on Castiel’s face. “I believe it was destiny. The last stop of the Underground Railroad was the Detroit River, and after you swam across you were _free_. Interesting, how that worked out for us as well.”

Castiel’s smile was contagious and Dean found himself drawing closer into the man’s space. He rested his chin on Cas’ knee and grinned, “Everything happens for a reason, or some bullshit like that, right?”

“I believe my fathe- _fate_ , played a hand in that.” He didn’t push Dean away, and allowed him to create a make-shift pillow out of the uniform jacket and his knee. “But that's been the only luck we had for quite a while.”

“There’d be missions, groups upon groups of soldiers were sent out to create order, to find a way to kill Lucifer, to stop Abaddon or to dethrone the King of Hell. Fewer and fewer of us came back. We were coming leaps and bounds with the Underground, we _finally_ had working irrigation systems, enough room for livestock and some of us had even taken _pets_. It was our own little society, and we soon came to terms with the fact that we were never going to fix things above. The best we could get, the best we could offer to save people - was our headquarters. So that’s what we did. We were down to the very last of our kind before we started taking in huma- _civilians_ and gave them a safe place, jobs, and hope to keep things preserved and functioning. We’ve been our own little ‘safe house for the oppressed’ for almost ten years. And the last one standing.”

“Shit, Cas,” Dean had been watching the man’s face intently, “That’s awesome.” But there was one thing he couldn’t get out of his mind, ever since he mentioned that Detroit was all that was left. If this was the only _city_... “Wait, where does the river lead?”

“Upstream, it circles around the town.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Dean pushed himself up off Castiel’s knee and looked into his eyes, “Where does it _lead_?”

Castiel was silent for a minute, eyes locked with Dean’s in the dim light of the room.

“My brother jokingly has called it ‘The Edge of Heaven.’” He looked down, “It leads to nothing. It leads to the emptiness the world is plagued by, it leads to death and nonexistence. The length of the river is getting shorter and shorter by the day and soon we‘ll have a front row seat to the end.”

Something cold flew through Dean’s veins and turned his blood to ice. He was shaken to his core, having been in that very river mere _hours_ earlier, being pulled by the current to the _end_. He knew the world was ending, he knew everything was closing in, but being so close to it himself just made it that much more...

-Real.

“Shit,” he grumbled, running his hands through his hair and trying to keep from shaking, “How close is it? How long do we have?”

“We have some scientists down here monitoring it,” Cas wouldn’t look at Dean, so he grabbed the other man’s chin until he had to. There was a dark sadness in his eyes, “A year? Half a year? That’s being generous.”

Neither of them moved, and Dean hadn’t moved away from Castiel’s face.

“But-” the dark haired man almost silently whispered, “We might have hope now.”

“Hope? Where the hell are you getting that? We’re all dead in a matter of months!” Dean snapped and his hand finally dropped.

“If we can defeat the Trilogy and put Hell back in it’s place, we have hope! We have to fix the natural order!” Castiel’s voice was just as heated, as he seized the hand Dean had pulled away. “I’ll _never_ stop trying until the lights go out, until I’m _unable_ to fight anymore! That’s how we hope and how we _keep living_ , Dean!”

He was taken aback from the raw passion in Castiel’s voice, the usually calm-under-pressure façade ripped away and left bare and human.

Dean could pinpoint the exact moment the energy drained from Cas’ body.

“Just try to fight along side me.“ He hadn’t planned on losing control like this, and was ashamed of it. “This is a battle we can win.”

Castiel’s words from before ‘trust me’ echoed back and forth in Dean’s head as he collapsed back onto the bed.

“All right, all right.” Dean looked down to see their fingers were intertwined. “I’ll fight with ya, Cas.”

Castiel's eyes followed Dean's, to glance down to where their hands had softened from furious grapples to just... holding one another. A small blush rose to Cas’ cheeks as he made a small movement to pull away, but Dean’s grip tightened. He was confused, until he looked back up to see Dean, staring at him.

“Don’t, Cas, just...stay?”

Castiel’s body relaxed as though a wave washed over him and he didn’t try to fight it. He let Dean’s warmth anchor him and laid down next to the newest addition to the Underground. In this moment, he really _could_ feel the tension leave his body and feel himself float away.


	4. The Grand Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Now that Dean thought about it, it was actually pretty weird. Normally, Anna was the kind of cute girl he’d be hitting on and trying to get into bed with ASAfuckingP. Yet, here he was. Breathing in the scent of some random dude, curling up in his sheets like it’s a slice of heaven and getting annoyed by the resident hottie. Yep, hell was, indeed, on earth._
> 
> _“You jealous?” Dean shot her a wink, “You want me to warm up to you too?”_
> 
> _“You seem to bounce back fast,” Anna gestured to a pair of shoes he hadn’t even noticed were at the foot of the bed, “That’s good. You have people to meet.”_
> 
> _Dean paused before sitting up fully, and pushing his feet into the shoes. He hesitated a little, “Oh yeah? What kind of people?”_
> 
> _“The rest of our Underground family.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/29/15

It wasn’t like it was the sun that woke him up the next morning. It was the flicker of artificial lights that slowly clicked on through the room, probably indicating the time was around ‘dawn.’ But... it was a nice change of pace. Above ground, the light never truly shined through the smog and the dirty air of the Empire. He welcomed the honest-to-goodness brightness with open arms and could pretend, if only for a moment, things were all right. The sleep that he got was strangely... Refreshing. No screams through the night, no taps at the door, no threats of death hanging in the air.

He could get used to this.

But then, the night before came crashing back.

He had to accept these facts and after he could do that, he could focus on being embarrassed.

Because, yeah.

How could he _not_ be embarrassed?

Holding Cas’ hand, being needy and practically begging him to stay.

He was just emotionally fragile, how could he not be after the last 24 hours?

Stupid Castiel. With the calm voice. With the reassuring words. With the stupid blue eyes that Dean couldn’t get out of his head unless he stabbed his brain with a knife.

Well, that was dramatic.

He rolled over and buried his face in a pillow but then realized that was an absolutely terrible idea because it smelled like Cas. And, damn, did that smell good.

This was most poorly-timed crush he’d ever gotten, and it needed to be nipped in the bud.

“Goddammit, Cas,” he cursed out to the empty room.

“Castiel isn’t here right now.”

Dean jerked up, to see Anna standing in the center of the room.

Oh. Not so empty, then.

“Hey, Anna. What are you doing here?” Dean pulled on the shirt that he seemed to have discarded sometime in the night, and tried not to flinch when she gave him one of her not-quite-smiles.

“Castiel thought you might need some help when you awoke. We have some pain medication or new clothes if you would like?”

“Are you on maid duty or something,” he grumbled while he rubbed his palms over his eyes, “Where is Cas, anyway?”

Anna raised an eyebrow and handed a glass and two pills towards the newcomer. “He’s taking care of the water purification this morning, he just recently procured the necessary-”

“-items on his last mission, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.” Dean took the cup and gulped the pills down, “I was there when they were taking inventory.”

“You seem rather attached already. It usually takes people a little more time to understand him and... Warm up to him.” Her expression was amused and Dean didn’t like it one bit.

Now that he thought about it, it was actually pretty weird. Normally, Anna was the kind of cute girl he’d be hitting on and trying to get into bed with ASAfuckingP. Yet - here he was. Breathing in the scent of some random dude, curling up in his sheets like it’s a slice of heaven and getting annoyed by the resident hottie. Yep, hell was, indeed, on earth.

“You jealous?” Dean shot her a wink, “You want me to warm up to you _,_ too?”

“You seem to bounce back fast,” Anna gestured to a pair of shoes he hadn’t even noticed were at the foot of the bed, “That’s good. You have people to meet.”

Dean paused before sitting up fully and pushing his feet into the shoes. He hesitated a little, “Oh yeah? What kind of people?”

“The rest of our Underground family.” A small smile was in place on her face. No less creepy than any of the other ones.

“Oh yeah? You gonna take me to your leader, or something?” Dean mumbled, shoving his feet in and lacing one up.

“You know that’s Castiel, right?” She tilted her head to the side in an eerily familiar gesture.

Huh. Well look at that. “So the minions, then.”

She actually laughed at that, “I don’t think they’d appreciate being called that, but you can certainly try.”

He finished up work on his shoes and then stood to his feet, battling a small surge of light-headedness.

“Okay, dumb question, but Jo’s really here, right? That wasn’t something I dreamed up?”

“You’ve met Jo?” Anna asked over her shoulder, already having started to head out. “Do you know her?”

Dean followed behind her and cleared his throat. “Yeah, actually. I knew her and her family before all of,” he waved his hand around, even though she couldn’t see it, “ _this_. Well, _way_ before this actually. Back before shit hit the fan, and then after, too.”

Anna nodded, and kept walking down the hallway, “Yes, Jo is very important to the Underground. She’s a fighter.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Dean huffed and shoved his hands in his pockets as he caught up and walked beside her.

She wasn’t much for conversation as they made their way back out into the small city and before long, they were walking among the people and well within the town. They took a pathway through the city and stopped outside a glass building when a voice called out to them.

“Heya, Anna! Coming to check how the crops are coming along?” An awkward man popped into view, picking enough leaves off his shirt that it looked like he'd taken a damn roll in them, “Kevin’s around here somewhere, probably writing an essay on seedling gestation or something.” The man finally looked up and noticed Dean, “Oh hey, I’m Garth!”

Anna greeted him and whispered, “He’s very _friendly_ , be careful.”

Dean was just warned about someone being friendly? That was another breath of fresh air.

“Hey, I’m Dean,” he reached out his hand and was quickly swept up into the most bizarre hug of his life. He could have swore the man _nuzzled_ him.

He tried to untangle himself with a few absent pats on Garth’s back, and the man just hopped back and said, “Nice to meet you!” and without stopping, told Anna, “The crops have been planted and I was just about to give them a little TLC. With the right push and the right magic words, we’re probably lookin’ at testing the new stuff out later this week.”

“Sounds good, thank you, I’ll be back to check them out then,” Anna nodded and turned to leave.

“See you around, Dean!” Garth wore a dopey smile and waved as the walked off.

“Yeah, will do!“ Dean threw an awkward salute over his shoulder and then lowered his voice directly in the redhead’s ear, “Next time, don’t use _friendly_.”

She smirked and followed another path along the edge of the town, “And what would you prefer I use?”

“What about cuddle-rapist? Or even-”

“I see you met Garth,” cooed a voice Dean recognized very well.

He walked over to where she was fiddling with a sprinkler system on the edge of a flourishing crop and lifted her up into a proper hug this time, not the hazy, sleep-addled reunion they had the night before. “Aww, and here I thought Joanna Beth was the resident snuggle bug!”

“Not on your life!” She playfully elbowed him, pushed him away and knelt down to finish tightening a few bolts and screws. “Do you guys know if the water’s good to go yet?”

“That’s what we were on our way to check on,” Anna nodded and watched Dean pull Jo to her feet. “Would you like to join us?”

“Yeah, need to make sure all that worked out before we turn the irrigation system on.” She dusted herself off and poked Dean in the side, “You’re gonna meet the whole crew.”

He frowned, “Somehow I don’t like the way you said that.”

“Dun dun duuun.” She looped her arm through Dean’s as Anna took off in the lead again.

“Is she always like that?” Dean lowered his head to Jo’s ear as they walked.

“You mean basically robotic?” She grinned, “Depends on the crowd. Today it looks like she’s all business.”

Although they kept up the pace, this was the perfect chance to catch up, “How long have you been here?”

Jo looked up thoughtfully, “A few years now - it was Castiel who found mom and me, too, and brought us down here. Guy’s a regular angel.”

Dean snorted, “Yeah, except for the fact that he, you know, exists and actually gives a shit about us.”

Anna threw a glance over her shoulder that Dean couldn’t read, as Jo responded, “You never really believed in any of that, did you?”

“Fuck no. And last time I talked to you, you were smart enough not to either,” he teased, but only received a halfhearted smile, “What, Jo? You find Jesus on a tortilla, or something?”

“Shut up,” she bumped their shoulders together and rolled her eyes, “You wouldn’t believe in angels or heaven unless you found it in a _pie_.”

“Please, please tell me there’s pie here?” Dean suddenly perked up, “Then this place would be _Utopia_.”

“Maybe someone in the market is selling something similar, but do you even have anything to barter?” She teased, “You need to get to work and earn your keep, Winchester.”

Dean flinched at the name, but jeered back with, “Aren’t you guys like, royalty or something? Treat me to a reunion dinner, use those privileges!”

“That’s _not_ how it works here.” Anna’s voice was frosty.

And apparently, her hearing was impeccable.

“He’s just messing with me, Anna, don’t worry. I’ve known this kid since before I could read, he’s just being a sassy bitch.”

Dean could practically feel the woman’s eye roll from where he was, “Yeah, always a sassy bitch.”

“Dean Winchester, too feisty to kill, too stubborn to die,” she laughed out.

“Yeah, I don’t know how much the Trilogy cares abo-”

A graceful finger flew to his lips and Jo stopped them in their tracks, “Okay, first rule of fight club?”

“Don’t talk about- wait, what does Brad Pitt have to do with the Underground?” Dean’s eyebrows furrowed together, met with a very serious face from his friend.

“The ‘T’ word. We _don’t_ use it. Dead fucking serious. People here they-” tried to find the words to explain, “it’s not just ‘ignorance is bliss.’ There have been children born here, families that don’t want them to know about above ground. People are trying to forget completely, and if it ain’t broke-”

“They _do_ know they have less than a year left, right?” Dean hissed out in a whisper.

Jo’s lips pressed together was the only answer he needed.

“Are you kidding me? You’re lying to them about that?!”

“Are you telling me you’d want to know?! Wait, don’t answer that,” she backtracked, “It’s not like we have a PA system and daily announcements. ‘T-minus seven months til ‘The End’ now, back to your previously scheduled paradise? Come on, Dean really? Besides, we have a plan. Sort of.”

“And what’s this plan, exactly?” Dean narrowed his eyes.

“We’ll wait until you’ve moved from ‘civilian’ status and have become a solider,” she shot him a sly grin, “Too much of a newbie to know the secrets.”

“Are you coming?”

They both turned to see Anna waiting a few yards ahead, arms crossed impatiently. They exchanged looks and jogged to catch up, Dean muttering, “freakin’ robot,” under his breath.

Dean let everything Jo had said to him sink in, and it wasn’t until Meg’s voice ripped him out of his thoughts that he realized they’d more or less stopped walking.

“What’s _he_ doing out here, Anna?” She groaned, but Dean was less than happy to see her as well.

Luckily, it wasn’t just Meg they’d come to visit, Dean immediately saw Castiel kneeling on the ground and drawing out some sigils in the sand. They weren’t alone. There were two new faces, wearing the same scrappy, dark blue uniforms, but leaning over whatever business their leader (as Dean now knew) was going about.

Dean wasn’t sure if he was supposed to introduce himself, so instead he called over, “Hey, Cas!”

Three sets of eyes eventually made their way back to him and he shifted uncomfortably as the new kid mouthed, ‘Cas’ to the woman next to him with a small smirk.

Castiel threw a quick, “Hello, Dean” over to him, but then turned back around to complete whatever he was doing.

Dean didn’t have enough time to feel ignored, because a second redhead appeared right in front of him with a very sincere (yet equally mischievous) grin and reached out her hand, “Hi! I’m Charlie! You getting the grand tour?”

It was refreshing to see this woman was actually open and genuinely excited to meet him - he was starting to lose faith when all he knew was Meg and Anna.

He glanced back just in time to hear the order, “Kevin, Garth was expecting you in the green house. You should see to that,” before the solider who looked like a damn _kid_ grumbled under his breath and stalked away.

Charlie was still waiting with her hand outstretched and an eyebrow raised. He laughed and took it, “I’m Dean. But I guess you already know that. So... yeah, I guess I’m in the middle of the grand tour? So far all I’ve seen is HQ and the plant stuff, and I guess some of the market yesterday on my way in?”

“Oo, you haven’t been to our _best_ kept secret _,_ yet,” Charlie leaned in with a stage-whisper, “We recently got our own little brewery up and running!”

“No shit?” Dean grinned and matched her fake-hushed tone, “Please tell me there’s whiskey there.”

She laughed, “I haven’t tried a lot of the selection, but Gabe’s working on organizing all of it right now. We’ve been busy, busy so that’s been on the back-burner, but tonight may be a perfect night to celebrate! Ya know. Being alive, and whatnot.”

“I like the way you think,” Dean clapped her on the shoulder, “Been way too long since I was actually able to let loose a little.”

“I call dips on bartender tonight! Unless you want the shitty, fruity concoctions Gabriel passes off as 'drinks.’” Jo stuck her tongue out. “Deal?”

“Deal!” Charlie and Dean said in unison, sparking the three of them to laugh.

“Oh great, the stooges are finally together?” Meg dryly commented from next to Castiel as he finally stood up, “What joy you’ve brought to our lives, Clarence.”

“If this is another Christmas reference, Meg, I-” the frown and innocent expression on his face spurred Dean to step forward and pull Cas to the side before the demon could get her own grubby little hands on him.

He looked alarmed, but as soon as they were out of earshot Dean didn’t even pause to say, “Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for last night. I’m not usually that needy, but, you know, it’s been a rough going for a hot sec.”

“It wasn’t a problem at all.” His voice had a critical tone to it and his frown hadn’t budged.

“Hey, then what's the problem?”

“Something is going on with the water supply,” his words were careful, “And it needs to be fixed very soon.”

“I thought you had everything you needed for the spell?”

“It’s not about the quality of the water, we can easily fix that - it’s the _quantity_. Something is happening inside the Empire and the river is becoming more shallow. I don’t know if they’re monopolizing the source, or there’s something wrong further upstream, but we can’t plant the new crops until we know we’ll be able to nurture them properly. We were nearly self-sufficient with this latest discovery, if we lose it... we’ll have to start all over. And we cannot afford that.”

Dean’s hand unconsciously reached out to find a place on Castiel’s shoulder, “Wait, does this have to do with the, you know, the desert getting closer?”

Cas flinched at the contact and pulled away. “No. That’s still far enough away it shouldn’t be an immediate problem. There’s something else at work here.”

Dean tried not to be offended that Cas basically freaked out at the touch and tried to cover it up with a quick, “So, another mission?”

“It would appear that way.” He began to walk away, “I’ll be departing before the sun sets above ground.”

“Woah, woah, dude,” Dean cut him off, “You just got back, can’t someone else do it?”

“Dean,” his voice was a low rumble, “I’m the _leader_ of these people. I can’t pawn off tasks and stay out of harm's way, this is _my_ responsibility.”

“Damn, Cas, get your panties out of a twist, I was just wondering,” he grumbled. “It was a fair question.”

Castiel stopped walking, but didn’t turn back to face Dean. “I’ll be back shortly, but while I’m gone I’m going leave Anna to see to your training.”

“Really?” Dean was getting more and more annoyed by the second, “I think I know what I’m doing, it’s not like I was sitting around on my lazy ass above ground. Give me some kind of test-out program and we’ll get this show on the road.”

He finally turned around, eyes narrowed at the contempt in Dean’s voice, “There is no ‘test-out.’ This is life or death, you should know that more than anyone. You’re a part of this now, you need to stay in top form and be prepared for anything.”

This was the first time Dean and Castiel’s staring contests had been tainted by anger.

Dean scoffed, “Yeah. Whatever. Have fun,” and watched Cas walk away before he could even finish.

He was reeling as he saw the man retreat, and his irritation grew.

What the fuck was up his ass, anyway?

His attitude completely shifted from the previous day and it bothered Dean a whole hell of a lot more than it probably should have.

He didn’t move for a second, until Charlie bounced up next to him and stated, “When Cas is in mission-mode, he’s not messing around. Don’t take it the wrong way, Dean.”

“So...” he took a deep breath. “Wanna finish the grand tour off with a trip to this little brewery of yours?”

A grin lit up Charlie’s face and she nodded happily, “Yep! Not a lot we can do until he gets back anyway, let’s grab Jo and you can meet our resident trickster.”

“Lead the way!”

\----

Meg dismissed herself when she saw Castiel leaving and followed him without the group seeing. Well, _Anna_ noticed, but didn’t say anything to her. Everyone else was too busy cheering about it being “5 o’clock somewhere’ and Anna noticed _everything_.  So Meg just slipped away.

She sauntered through the city, knowing Castiel would be taking the routes as far away from people as possible, but she knew they would end up at the same place. On the way, she waved to a family and gratefully accepted a small lunch one of the citizens in the market presented her. She was munching and strolling, taking her time so he had a little bit of room to cool off.

No one liked dealing with a frustrated Castiel.

She knew when to pick and choose her battles, when it as appropriate to tease, and when she could get away with downright flirting. This wasn’t the time for any of it.

After an hour of wasting time and dawdling, she walked up towards the compound and knew from the silence echoing down the hallway, they were the only two there.

She heard a rustling from within Castiel’s room, and rapped her knuckles against the ajar door.

“Knock, knock,” she cooed and walked in before she was even acknowledged.

Cas didn’t even look up at her while he dug through drawers and tossed the things he’d need for his trip on the bed. Meg just settled herself right on the edge and began to fold everything he was throwing without a word.

She’d been a part of this long enough, it might even cut down on some of his stress if she helped out for once.

“Tell the others I’ll be bringing Kevin with me, I’ll need him for assistance if the problem is more in his area of expertise.“

Meg merely ‘ _hmm’d_ in response. She was still trying to get a read on him.

The noisy shuffling quieted down until the room was silent and his voice asked lowly, “Is there something I can help you with?”

She finished folding the dirty trench coat he used as a disguise above ground and lounged back to cross her legs, “I’ll make sure he treats your place _real_ nice while you’re gone.”

He turned around to face her and stated, “I highly doubt you’re here to talk about monitoring.”

“You know me so well,” she rolled to her side, “While everything you said in the meeting yesterday was fine and dandy, it wasn’t until late last night I thought back to the prophecy and realized you left _out_ something.”

He grimaced, “It’s not of import.”

“Yeah, _no_.” Her voice took a dangerous edge, “I understand why the event of “The Righteous Man” are great things to build team spirit, but if you remember from what I found out when I mind-whammied the kid, there’s no way the rest is gonna happen.”

“The Righteous Man would have never presented himself if there wasn’t a way!” He snapped, “Something _will_ happen, something will _change_ , we just have to wait and have faith.”

Meg got to her feet and slowly approached Castiel without pretense. She ran her fingers through his hair and whispered, “You know I’m not good at that faith bullshit-”

“Then why are you here?!” He jerked away.

Her hand clamped down on the back of his neck and pulled him towards her, “Don’t cut me off, Clarence.”

He stared at her blankly until she took a calming breath and went on:

“I didn’t believe in that faith crap until there was you. If you think this’ll pan out, hell, I won’t be the person to put a dent in your plans and confess to the whole gang. I’ll wait. I’ll let you do what you think is right, and I’ll support it. I wanted to make sure you remembered the _whole_ prophesy and weren’t getting everyone’s hopes up for nothing.” She finished, and Castiel seemed a bit more calm than before.

She released him and pulled away, “I know you’re stressed, but remember I’ll have your back, I guess. Or whatever shit I’m supposed to say to make you feel better.  Fill in the blanks for yourself.”

Castiel actually laughed a little. “Thank you, Meg. Your sincere support and unwavering compassion will always center me.”

She punched him lightly in the shoulder, “There’s the little fucker I know and love.”

He smiled and went back to the packing, “But honestly. Thank you.”

Meg swatted his rear and made her way to the doorway, leaning on it and observing him for a few seconds longer.

“Crossing my fingers this doesn’t come back to bite us in the ass, though.”

She vacated the room and once he heard the door to the front slam shut, Castiel collapsed back on the bed.

He was crossing his fingers, too.


	5. Liquid Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Thank god there’s alcohol,” Dean muttered, “I haven’t had a good drink in forever and this is just what the doctor ordered.”_
> 
> _When they arrived at the building, Charlie pushed through - full speed ahead - and they passed a lobby before getting to a hallway. Two doors on the right, was a closed door with a cute little make-shift sign that announced, “The Roadhouse” with pink hearts and skulls doodled in the corners._
> 
> _“Hey, Jo, so I take it the name-?”_
> 
> _“Version 2.0,” she grinned and flashed a thumbs up, “Mom and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/29/15

Charlie happily lead the way to their little hideaway, which she explained was located in the ’Officer’s Quarters.’ Apparently, the compound Dean had been at was used for official business, business and rituals - and only Castiel, Meg and Anna considered it their home. Which made sense, because it was cold and sterile (like _those_ three, Dean mused) - a vast difference from the homey, vibrant feel of this very building. The rest of the crew had their own residence with their own rooms and that’s where they housed their secret ‘bar.’ Another perk of the location, was when their parties were in full swing, they could just stumble a handful of steps and crash into their own beds. This was the place of production, the officers also used the spoils as their own bargaining chips while bartering in the market place.

But before the product reached the public, they were more than happy to sample the goods.

On the short hike over, Dean hung back with Jo who was rolling her eyes at the man’s ridiculously obvious pouting, which she would endlessly tease him about once the mood blew over. However, now was not the time.

“Yeah, our building was kinda set up like a college dorm. You know. Minus the studying and the beer pong. And yeah, I guess it’s just one floor, but everyone has a room and the extra, larger spaces we turned into a game room, lounge, dinner nook and our own little tavern,” Charlie would explain as they walked. “We’re the fun crowd, let’s be honest. Anna and Cas usually avoid the place because they’re being too _serious_ , and Meg only stops over when she’s PMSing and needs to get hammered drunk. Then she usually just passes out on a pool table.”

“Thank God there’s alcohol,” Dean muttered, “I haven’t had a good drink in forever and this is just what the doctor ordered.”

When they arrived at the building, Charlie pushed through - full speed ahead - and they passed a lobby before getting to a hallway. Two doors on the right, was a closed door with a cute little make-shift sign that announced, “ _The Roadhouse_ ” with pink hearts and skulls doodled in the corners.

“Hey, Jo, so I take it the name-?”

“Version 2.0,” she grinned flashing a thumbs up, “Mom and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Where _is_ your mom, anyway?” Dean was almost afraid to ask.

“Oh, she’s here, but she's locked up in her room. Gettin' over a flu bug, and when I told her you were here she said that after she’s in full health she’s gonna hug the shit out of you and can’t wait to catch up!” Jo relayed the message in a very Ellen-like voice.

“Eh,” Dean shrugged his shoulders, “Not like there’s a lot of good, cheery news to announce to her or something.”

“Shut up, she means that we have some good stories for _you_.” Her immediate smile was genuine as she pushed open the door.

“You-whooo, Gabe, you around here?” Charlie called out through the entrance and Dean was dying to get his first look at the last man of his introductions.

“’Sup, Red! Just adding some finishing touches on these babies and then we’re gonna be ready for action!” A mischievous voice rang out from behind a counter.

“Oh _Jesus_ ,” Jo ran ahead, “Don’t tell me you fucked up these bar stools after I spent so much time building them?!”

Dean followed and saw Garth leaning against the counter with a look of faux-sorrow, “Mr. Fizzles and I tried to talk him out of lime green zebra-print, but there was nothing to change his mind.”

A head finally popped out from behind the counter with a huge grin and brush stroke of neon paint smudged on his cheek, “These are gonna be bitchin’ - trust me! I'm an _artist_! The next van Gogh, but plus an ear!”

“If by ‘bitchin’ you mean I’m gonna be blinded, distracted and probably gagging every time I sip my beer?” Jo groaned and quickly turned the corner to catch her first glimpses, “Holy fuck, these are _disgusting_!”

Gabriel quirked an eyebrow, and countered, “If by disgusting you mean perfect and just the little pick-me-up we need - then _duh_.” His mischievous look turned downright _devilish_ when his eyes caught sight of the newest addition, “Oo la la, what do we have here? It’s no wonder why Cassie simply haaad to save such a fine ass.”

“Gabriel?” Dean deadpanned, obviously unimpressed by his antics, and completely unsurprised by the disclaimers and the way everyone talked about him. He lived up to his reputation - that was for sure. “Yeah, my name’s Dean. Heard you had some liquid courage.”

He practically hopped over and wrapped an arm around Dean’s shoulders, “We do indeed, and not in short supply,” those damn eyebrows began to waggle, “Anyone in particular you’re setting your loose morals and drunken inhibitions after?”

“Hopefully someone who resembles Jack or Jim,” he muttered, trying to force the offending arm off him.

“Oh, a whiskey man, I take it,” Gabriel squeezed him tighter and whispered in his ear, “Figure some good ol' fashion moonshine will do the trick too, huh?”

Charlie cleared her throat behind him, and when that didn’t snap Gabe out of his creepiness, her flat hand to his ass did, “Slow your roll, homeboy, let’s just start out with some beer and light conversation? It’s way too early to make it rain moonshine.” She made a face and shoved him back towards the counter. “So how about we all grab a drink, give the dazzling furniture a chance to dry and move this party to the game room?”

“I like your style,” Gabriel did just that, grabbing mugs on mugs and sliding them, once filled, across the bar with practiced ease. “Let the fun begin!”

As they started filing out of the room, Dean managed quickly to chug half his beer and got Gabriel’s attention with a whistle, “Hey, any way I could get a top-off?”

“I’ll get _your_ top off,” he sneered, “but, yeah, give it over, big boy, and then we’ll join the crowd.”

Dean brushed off the comments and silently watched Gabriel fill his drink back up from the tap of a wooden barrel until the shorter man casually mentioned, “So I guess my baby brother has taken _quite_ the interest in you.”

“Baby brother?” Dean’s forehead creased and then asked, “ _Castiel_?”

“Duh. Likes you a lot. Never likes anyone, and as you can see we’re a tight-knit group.”

“Heh, didn't seem that way today.” Dean was still pretty damn bitter. Scratch that, _really_ fucking bitter.

“Don’t let that get you down, someone’s always in one of those moods. Today it just happens to be Cassie. We switch.” Gabriel returned the now full glass and started walking, “Yesterday, it was Meg, last week Kevin went through a huge bitch-fit and today it’s Cas. Always a little bit of cabin fever, especially once we return from missions above ground. Tension's high then adrenaline crashes hit and peeps get fussy. Which is why I’ll _happily_ park my ass down here and stay out of trouble.”

“You’re an _officer_ , but you don’t _do_ anything?” Dean wasn’t trying to be rude, it was the first thing that popped out of his mouth.

“Hey,” Gabe’s voice took on a serious note, “Believe me, I have _more_ than paid my dues and if I think it’s my time to chill? It’s my time to chill. You don't know shit about where we've all come from - you've been here one friggin day. Plus, someone has to make sure things are all smooth-sailing down here. _Besides_ ,” he drew the word out, “I’m more of a people person and I can’t go disappointing my fans.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” he muttered, raising the glass to his lips again.

Gabriel chose to ignore the comment, and instead walked into what they’d dubbed ‘the game room’ and smiled as he saw Garth and Jo in the first stages of a game of pool, and Charlie kicked back on a couch while sipping her beer. Dean took a seat next to her, knowing it was the safest, and the other man grabbed what looked to be a handful of candy from a drawer before sitting in a chair across from them.

“I play winner!” Dean called out at the two at the table. “It’s been too long since I’ve kicked some ass.”

“Obviously, you know Jo will win,” Garth shrugged, not even bothering with false hope. “She just chose me to inflate her ego.”

“Dammit, Garth, I’m trying to be a nice chick here and help you out but you never take it serious,” Jo knocked two solid balls into a pocket, “This is more heavy than the end of the world!”

“Indeed,” Garth nodded with a certain intensity, “Which is why _you've_ always gotta win, because it’d be the end if you _lost_.”

“Prepare for the apocalypse when I'm up next!” Dean announced with a grin from his seat.

“In your dreams!”

\---------------

The afternoon passed nicely. They relaxed, enjoyed pool, friendly banter, and even a random battle of “Sorry!” The game board was worn and they were missing pieces, but it was easy to turn it into a drinking game, which was Dean's ultimate prerogative.

Everyone was pleasant and random levels of buzzed, except for Garth: who’d had to be _carried_ to his room after two beers, because he was apparently _blacked out_. Dean was _well_ on his way, himself - he'd switched to moonshine instead of beer. It was around that time when he asked no one in particular, “So, what’s up with _Anna_?”

Almost everyone looked at him and there was a pause. A _long_ one.

Gabriel (finally) picked up the slack and asked, “What about her? You’re gonna have to be a little more specific there, Dean-o.”

“Like...” He was fishing for words, “What’s with the stick up her ass?”

“She _is_ pretty serious, huh,” Jo said conversationally, then glanced at Charlie, “You wanna handle this one?”

“Yeah,” she answered slowly, “I guess.”

She had to think back on what Castiel had briefed them on. What Dean _did_  and _did not_ know to make sure there weren't any discrepancy in the stories. She couldn't risk messing something because she word-vomited something moderately-intoxicated. Cas would have her head.

“Well, you know how there’s only a few of the original air force officers left?”

Dean nodded.

“Well, the ones you know are Cas, Gabe and Anna. Except Anna kinda, dropped out before the rest of them,” She shot a glance to a _thoroughly_ amused Gabriel and knew just what he was thinking, “After a battle a while ago, she kind of left the armed forces behind... but she had some serious PTSD, and I mean _serious_. She was injured in a fight before she left and she came back... _wrong_. She started fighting with us again, because what else could she do under the circumstances? But that only made the PTSD worse and worse _._  Anna was so haunted, she just didn't care anymore." Charlie paused for a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly feeling a heavy weight relaying the story. "She would like, just _throw_ herself into combat. Like friggin kamikaze style. One of those times, she was the _only one_ who came back from this huge, critical battle and almost died. But she _knew_ she had to tell us what happened, it was only her sense of duty that got her to us alive. So she pushed through it and we...kinda had to put her back together.”

“Put her back together?” Dean echoed and had no way to take that.

“Okay, don’t get all judge-y! It was at the beginning of everything, when everything was falling apart, and we kinda... experimented.” Charlie bit her lip. “ _But!_  The moral of the story is we managed to save her... but there were _more_  complications. She’s there, but she’s _not there._  It turned into something sci-fi and she’s a great solider but sometimes forgets who she _used_ to be,” Charlie was grasping for words like they were straws.

“The fact off the matter is,“ Gabriel cut in and rolled his eyes, “This isn’t about holy and demonic magic anymore. _None_ of that matters in this hell hole. We had to get a little _creative_ and we have some pretty fucking good resources,” he tipped his head to Charlie then flashed a smirk, “ _All-stars_ , actually.”

Jo tsked the man, “Always modest, Gabriel. I don’t believe you can dub _yourself_ an all-star.”

“I do what I want! Maybe if you weren’t such a-”

“ _Anyway_ -” Jo quickly interrupted, “as Gabriel stated, because it’s about survival we can’t be choosy about the means. And, yes, we do happen to have two undeniable advantages on our side.”

“Technology and Pagan magic,” Charlie gave a bright smile. “The two things that have nothing to do with Heaven or Hell, and everything to do with what we have on good ol’ Earth. Well…what’s left of it, I guess?”

“Like I said, _all-stars_ ,” Gabriel made a grand gesture with his arms and announced loudly, “Tech-Queen and Trickster extraordinaire. No autographs or flash photography, please.”

“Trickster?” Dean echoed, pointing a finger at Gabe.

“Geez, you don’t believe in the creatures either?”

Dean laughed, “Nah, I know _that’s_ real. I just can’t imagine you in the Air Force.”

Gabriel opened his mouth but slammed it shut to rethink his words, because he was trying to hold onto his filter and it was damn hard, “Yeah, it was _quite_ a sight to see.”

“I’ll toast to that!” Jo changed the subject, “How about we bring out the shots!?”

\-----

Even though Dean hadn’t been there long, he obviously knew the way to his new ‘home...’ or so he told the others. He’d turned down their invitation to use one of the spare bedrooms there. In reality, he just wanted to be alone. He stumbled out of the bar and laughed out loud when he was nearly taken out by the little mat outside the door.

Death by welcome mat, _sweeeeet_.

The cool air outside the building felt good against his skin and he briefly wondered how the climate-control shit worked here. He decided he didn’t really care, because as long as they had their “all-stars,” complete with pagan magic and technology on their team, they were home free, right?

Everything was pleasantly fuzzy (bordering on _too_ fuzzy), but when he looked in the direction of the compound he realized he wasn’t ready to go back _quite_ yet.

The synthetic ‘night’ had fallen, also known as the artificial lights around the city had dimmed to give it the illusion of night. He had to admit, he didn’t feel claustrophobic or anything, even though he was basically in an overgrown cave, along side a river of death - it was peaceful here. Just similar enough to above ground that he wasn’t feeling a sense of vertigo, but without the threat.

Damn, he did get lucky.

Even if he contributed a large portion of it to alcohol, he’d been doing a pretty damn good job of blocking out the old memories and starting over.

“Like a muthafuckin’ phoenix,” he laughed to himself as he tripped along and a passer-by gave him a smile and a wave.

He actually found himself humming under his breath as he wandered, and soon found himself at the edge of the market place. He had to veer before he walked right into the residential area and ended up passing out in some unfortunate sap’s kitchen or something. He wouldn’t put it past himself.

A brief vision of a little girl waking her parents up with “ _mama, there’s a drunk in our pantry so I can’t make breakfast,_ ” amused him.

Yeah, better not scare the young’ns of the Underground tonight.

He kicked a random rock along the path for a while, and looked up to find he actually... had no clue where he was.

“Well, fuck me.”

“Dean?”

He spun around to see Castiel wearing the same get-up as what he’d met the man in, with Kevin standing along side him dressed in something similar.

“Thought you were leaving before sunset.” Dean sneered and went to kick the rock again, but misplaced a step along the way and nearly toppled over.

If he hadn’t been caught like a damsel in distress, that is.

“You’re intoxicated.”

It was a statement, with a small dash of disappointment mixed in.

Some Prince-fuckin-Charming.

Dean jerked away and found his footing, trying to stand up straight and managing... For the most part.

“Well, yeah, Charlie tells me you gotta brewery ‘round here, I can’t say no to that,” Dean tried to keep his words straight and slur-free. Who knew if he succeeded. “Chick’s awesome.”

Castiel's passive face turned into a frown, “I see the two of you’ve hit it off.” He looked over his shoulder to the younger man he was walking with, “Kevin, you can go on ahead, I’ll be along shortly.”

Kevin raised an eyebrow, but nodded and continue walking outside the city. That meant that Cas wanted some privacy. Great.

“Fuck yeah, her and Jo are the only real normal ‘n round here. Don’t get me started on creepy Anna, bitchy Meg ‘r-” Dean shuddered for dramatic effect, “- _Gabriel_.”

Castiel barked out a laugh he didn’t even see coming, and nodded with a smile, “Yes, your assessments are fair.”

Dean stopped himself from smiling, even though Cas’ laugh was a beautiful thing he was _still_ upset. Even though, deep down, he wanted to crack as many jokes as he could to hear that laugh again.

 _No, you’re pissed, remember?_ He reminded himself.

“Yeaaah, and you, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde mind-fucked me in the ass today.” Dean grumbled and waited a few seconds while Cas tried to translate what he was even saying.

Clearly, it wasn’t working and he wasn’t coming out of his adorable-confused-innocent state anytime soon. The one that Dean was kind of falling for in the first place.

“Whatever. Thought Leader-Cas was gonna be sexy, butLeader-Cas’ 's straight-up Prick-Cas,” Dean tried to explain.

A light bulb went off in his head and he responded, “Oh, I understand now,” but then abruptly stopped when he then understood the _implications_. “I- didn’t mean to upset you, I’ve been extremely stressed about these situations and need to take care of them so we can move forward. My actions weren’t caused by you but the things outside our control.” He took a step forward, “I’m sorry, Dean.”

He sent him a halfhearted glare and mumbled, “Yeah, okay. Have fun doing yer James Bond act or whatever.”

“Dean?” He stepped even closer, and before the other man could even complain about ’personal space’ asked, “Why are you out here?”

He blushed a bit and admitted, “Uh, yeah, got a little lost.”

“Why isn’t Charlie or Jo with you?” There was a flare of anger rising in his voice but Dean stopped him before he could say anything else.

“Chill out, okay? I don’t need a babysitter, I told 'em I was goin' back, to sleep, but then wandered ’n... yeah.”

“You say that a lot.” Cas stated with a smile.

“What?”

“'Yeah.' I’m beginning to realize that, in addition to 'awesome,' those are your favorite words,” the smirk on his face grew wider.

“Eh, I’m drunk, ain’t no way around it.” Dean shrugged and realized they were slowly gravitating closer and closer together, “And it’s _awesome_ to be drunk,” he emphasized the word, "ya should try it sometime."

Castiel cleared his throat and stepped away, “Since, as you pointed out, I’m running a little late as it is, would you like me to show you the way back?”

“I mean, since yer running late 'n all,” Dean didn’t even _try_ to hide the flirty expression he knew he was making. He was on autopilot. As soon as there was alcohol in his blood and he was faced with someone attractive, his default setting was to _attack_. And him finding Castiel attractive was an understatement.

Trying to hide the blush that was forming on his cheeks, Cas cleared his throat and waved his hand for Dean to change his direction.

After another small stumble, Castiel couldn’t help teasing back, “Do you need me to help you walk like last time we were navigating the village?”

“Shut your face,” Dean shoved playfully at his back. “But if I’m gonna bite it or something, you can catch me, I guess.”

Another unexpected chuckle rang out through the night and after walking together in a comfortable silence, Dean noticed something peculiar.

“Hey, Cas?”

They both stopped walking.

Dean was looking straight up in the near-darkness and Cas lifted his chin to follow the gaze. Once his eyes landed on what Dean was questioning - he hummed a confirmation.

“You got a fake moon in here to?”

“It wasn’t _meant_ to be a moon, but that’s what it looks like, isn’t it?” Cas pointed upward, “In the dark, you can’t see the rafters all the way up, but there’s a _single bulb_ from the original construction that we never had the heart to switch out when we rigged our own lights. It’s one of the only things remaining of the original building, back when this was the museum,” he paused for a moment as they both stared up into the highest part of the dome-like ceiling, “And it _still_ hasn’t burned out.”

“Huh,” Dean finally lowered his chin, “That’s kinda cool.”

“I believe it’s comforting to the people who remember above ground. A little reminder that there’s _more_ out there when you look up, rather than nearly a mile of dirt and rock.” Cas smiled, “Come, Dean, I really should be leaving soon.”

“Yeah, oh - _yeah_ , sorry,” Dean started walking alongside the other man again, trying to remember his surroundings in case he found himself awkwardly lost again. After attempting to pay attention, he said screw it, knowing through the pleasant warmth in his body he wouldn’t even remember the details in the morning. Besides, stealing glances over to Castiel’s strong profile was _much_ more interesting.

Before he knew it, they were at the front steps of the compound and just when he thought he was going to be abandon, Cas surprised him and continued to walk with him until they were in front of Dean’s borrowed room. Dean shot him a smile and nearly tripped over his own feet before reaching the doorknob. Castiel rolled his eyes and looped an arm around Dean’s waist to support him the final five steps it took to get to the bed.

“Gee, thanks, fearless-leader, for making sure I arrived home safe and sound.“

Dean winked and was caught off when Castiel responded with, “So is Leader-Cas a little _less_ of a prick, now?”

“Mm, he’s movin’ up in the books, but hasn’t _quite_ made it to the Sexy-Leader-Cas of my Dreams, yet.” He let his voice sink a little lower than usual, just a hint of seduction, that was only meant to tease.

Then he yelped, as he was _shoved_ backwards.

It wasn’t getting the wind knocked out of him that left him breathless as much as the fact that Castiel was leaning over him, an arm on either side pinning him down to the bed. Dean could feel the other man’s breath ghost over his neck, they were _so close_.

So close, but not nearly close enough-

When Cas licked his lips, his gaze unwavering, Dean felt his mouth open automatically and he couldn’t hide the shiver that ran down his spine.

Those blue eyes shifted, and there wasn’t a doubt in Dean’s brain where they were now focused.

“I’ll keep that in mind and try to continue my progress,” Cas stared unabashed and tilted his head to the perfect angle - if he’d just lean down a _little_ more- “To be a better leader, that is,” - but he didn’t _quite_ make it, and instead pulled away.

Dean’s heart was pounding wildly in his chest and groaned much louder than he should have, “Killing me, Cas.”

The man who was still standing next to the bed beamed and Dean dramatically kicked his feet against the mattress and thrashed.

“Why would I be trying to kill you if I tried so hard to save you?” Cas pointed out, not allowing himself to fall for the mini-temper tantrum.

“Pshh,” he whined, “Fuckin’ _prove it_ , then.”

The second the words were out, there was a mess of hands tangled through hair and hot lips pressed against Dean's own. He reached out blindly to grab the back of the god-awful black fabric clinging across Cas’ shoulders in an attempted bring him closer, to haul him further on the bed. Strong hands latched around Dean’s wrists before he was able to find purchase and pinned him back down.

Cas kissed him hard - it was a heated mess of rough nips, battling tongues and a demonstration of pure _power_. From his prone position on the bed, Dean couldn’t do much more than moan with need and let himself be assaulted. The way the man was practically bruising his wrists and licking hungry patterns into his mouth made him lose control in ways he’d never felt before.

And then it was over much, _much_ too soon.

Dean was left panting on the bed, downright whimpering at the loss of Castiel’s mouth after he pulled away.

The bastard didn’t even say a word, just shot him a smug look before running his finger tips down Dean’s chest, and -

\- leaving.

Dean rolled to his side, breaking out of his stupor and fuming. He forced his brain to get back in the game, willed his breathing to slow the fuck down... only to get pissed off all over again with how undeniably turned on and hard he was.

“Dammit, Cas!” He shouted in frustration, even though he knew the man was probably long gone.


	6. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The girl nodded and he pulled the hood down. The face that greeted him wasn't exactly what he was expecting._
> 
> _She locked his gaze with big brown eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows. What had probably been brown hair was dripping wet and clinging to her like a shadow of black. Her lips were a bit faded, but he could tell before the river they were painted a deep red. And they were upturned in a smirk._
> 
> _It wasn't the grateful smile you’d give your rescuer._
> 
> _It was cruel, and amused._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/29/15

Dean was restless and paced back and forth in the room.  
  
In _Cas_ ’ room.  
  
That the man hadn’t returned to in _over a week_.  
  
He didn’t know what the norm was for these missions, how long people were usually gone, he didn’t know much of anything.

All he knew was the nervous feeling buried in the bottom of his gut was bubbling up, and the fact he couldn’t get Castiel out of his head... no matter how much he tried.

He’d attempted to keep himself busy. He really had. He’d go on walks with Charlie, he'd try to avoid his own housemates and stayed at the soldier’s headquarters more than the one he was in now. He’d visited the market place, learned the rules of bartering, met a shit-ton of the people there and even made some new friends.

But everything was a distraction.

He’d already snooped through all of Cas’ belongings, multiple times, he might add, trying to get a clearer picture of the man shrouded in mystery.

But none of the artifacts, spell ingredients and random spell binders (in something he recognized as Enochian, who the hell even reads that?!) could give him any clues as to why the stoic, serious man had basically attacked his mouth.

He made up stories, reasons, and one of the things that continuously kept popping up in his head was, ‘Maybe it was some last hurrah.’ Maybe the man thought there was a good chance he wouldn’t be coming back and decided to say fuck it?

This didn’t sit well with Dean.

It sat _so_ unwell, that it’d lead him to drink himself to sleep a few nights and he'd ended up snuggled against Charlie in her bed with a raging hangover in the morning.

She’d always have a glass of water ready for him and, God was she a saint, sometimes swapped the Tylenol out for some straight-up Vicodin when she knew it was going to be a rough go.

Dean didn’t even feel bad, being all needy and nuzzling up against her, because in their drunken ramblings he found out she was an out-and-proud gay and was nursing a little crush on Jo.

Not that he told her he was in the same boat, but with Cas instead.

He knew she knew, she was too damn smart and figured it out for herself - probably after day freakin' one. Thankfully, she didn’t bring it up. He didn't know how he would handle it if those words were actually spoken out loud. He was already in a panic over it.

He wasn’t ready to have that little heart-to-heart with her, but knew if he kept it up she’d force him into it. Probably tie him down. And then he’d spill about how he wished Cas would tie him down instead...

-Dammit.

He rubbed his eyes and groaned.

If only Cas wouldn’t have... well, if he hadn’t found him drunkenly lost and had just left, Dean wouldn’t be feeling like this.

He’d still be pissed off, offended by Castiel’s biting words and the cold shoulder. How quickly that had changed.

It had complicated things, complicated things in a _wonderful_ way, but if he didn’t come back he-

No. Dean wouldn’t let himself think about that now.

He should have taken up Garth and Charlie’s invitation and stayed for some (God help him) table top role-play games, but he wanted to get back here for some reason. Maybe it was because the room still smelled like Cas and this wasn’t one of the days he could pretend he wasn’t nervous. Being here, even in the upheaval that was his brain and his flaring emotions, kind of calmed him. Because he was around Cas' belongings, around his life, and the only physical reminders he had of the man. He could pretend, if only for a little while...

The _huge_ problem was being here meant there were usually two of his least favorite people here also.

Anna was clearly getting annoyed with the sounds of his huffing and puffing and knocked on the door after a few minutes. She didn’t wait for a reply and walked in stating, “You should eat something. Meg and I have some snacks if you’d like to join us?”

Okay, fine, so Anna really wasn’t that bad, but that didn’t mean he still wasn’t freaked out by her. Meg was another story entirely _._

“Nah, I’m good.” Dean stopped his pacing long enough to give her a smile.

“You’re worried about Castiel.” She stated the obvious. “You have no reason to be, he’s efficient and excellent at what he does. These errands are easy to him, I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“And when was the last time you were up there, huh? A month? More? It seems like he’s the _only one_ who has the balls to even risk going up there. It’s dangerous as fuck, I’ve seen the shit going on first hand, and I think I’m a little more qualified to say whether or not he'll be all right than _you_. It’s not like I wasn’t living that hell a little more than a week ago or anything.”

Anna didn’t seem bothered by his outburst in the least and rolled her eyes in a very human-like way, “You’re being a child.”

“Then fuck off and leave me to my temper tantrum,” he barked back with a little more force than he wanted to.

“Stop being such a whiny little bitch,” Meg pushed through the doorway next to the redhead, “Don’t give her shit because your little girl heart is lonely without Castiel. You say you’re more qualified to talk about above ground? Well, guess what, princess - _we’re_ more qualified to talk about Cas. You don’t know anything about him or how capable he is. Just because he’s given you the time of day when you bat your pretty little lashes at him doesn't mean you know a goddamn _thing_.”

Dean opened his mouth to speak, but then clammed up. He didn’t want to admit that she was right, but it still hurt for some reason.

“Do you know when he’ll be getting back?” Dean resigned, the anger slowly drained out of him and was replaced by an almost worse emptiness.

“No way to tell,” Meg shrugged her shoulders. “Sometimes it’s a week, sometimes it’s a month. He has sources above ground who usually can get a message to us if something’s wrong, or if, by some _miracle_ , something’s right.”

“Well, I guess let me know if you hear anything,” Dean made a motion to tell them to clear the damn door.

They both walked back into the hallway and Anna questioned, “Where are you going?”

“Out. Need some fresh air. Maybe I’ll stop and grab some real food.” Dean grumbled and started to walk away from the two.

“Do you have something to barter? You should stop by the officer’s place to grab some currency,” Anna called after him, probably feeling bad about the tongue-lashing Meg had given him. It was no picnic to be on the receiving end of one of those.

“Nah,” Dean looked over his shoulder and leveled a challenging stare to the demon, “Pretty sure I can just ‘bat my pretty little eyelashes’ and someone’ll ‘give me the time of day.’”

That shut both the women right up and left him to go on his way.

\-----------

Dean was bluffing about the flirting part, he had a bag full of goodies Jo had loaded him up with for anything he might need. He sauntered around the market place, smiling and chatting with a few of the citizens he’d gotten to know over the past week, and after a few exchanges, ended up with a small bag full of warm, freshly-baked pretzel-sticks. The only thing he missed about above ground was the fact they were still able to deep-fry stuff - down here everything was too damn _healthy_.

Sam would have loved it here.

A sharp ache clenched at his heart and he shook his head, giving in to his ignorance-is-the-best-method-of-dealing approach.

He munched and walked, taking a sip of his small cup of water while he thought about what kind of trouble he could get into today. He’d drank too much lately - it was getting to the point where it was pulling him down into a slump. He was sick and tired of wasting the day away trying not to vomit and being partially bed-ridden. In a perfect world, Cas would show up, whisk him away and they could pick up playing tonsil hockey where they left off.

Yeah, in a perfect world.

Dean was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a desperate, “Sir, sir!” as a woman bumped _hard_ into his shoulder and tried to grip his arm before she tumbled over.

She was covered in a wet, dark cloak and all he could see of her were shaking, delicate hands. The slim fingers held an urgent, deadly grip and dug into his flesh. She must have come from the river. Was this the messenger Meg alluded to Cas sending if something went wrong?

“Hey, hey, hey,” he reached to steady her and keep her upright, since she was stumbling in her step. “Are you all right?”

“The Trilogy!” She moment after her voice rang out, everyone around him stopped dead in their tracks.

Locals were random types of speechless: the older folk terrified, the younger adults confused, and the children merely alarmed at the woman’s out burst.

“Oh, drank too much again, too early, Jen. Come on, let’s get you home!” Dean wrapped an arm around her and dragged her away, hoping that was a good enough cover-up to avoid a wide-spread panic. That was the last thing he needed right now. When he had mused about 'getting into trouble,' he sure as fuck hadn't meant like that.

He turned to her and hissed under his breath once they got to the empty space behind the market, “What the hell are you thinking, you can’t say that around here!”

It was almost alleyway-like but secluded and Dean didn’t know _what_ to do as she grabbed the front of his shirt and started sobbing.

Something _wasn’t_ right, the way she was grabbing him so tight and knew to go to him _,_ out of all people. He wasn't wearing an officer uniform, he could have been some random Joe-Schmo off the street, but he wasn't and Dean didn't believe in accidents...

Maybe this was a message from Cas, and a terrible one, from the looks of the devastated woman. Fuck, he had to get a grip and not let his imagination run wild. He had to talk to her. First things first.

Dean knew how disgusting the river water must have felt drenching the poor girl's small body, so he tentatively placed his hands on the hood and asked, “May I? You’ll feel better to get this off.”

She nodded and he pulled the hood down. The face that greeted him _wasn’t_ exactly what he was expecting.

She locked his gaze with big brown eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows. What had probably been brown hair, was dripping wet and clung to her like a shadow of black. Her lips were a bit faded, but he could tell before the river dulled them they were painted a deep red. And they were upturned in a smirk.

It _wasn’t_ the grateful smile you’d give your rescuer.

It was cruel and amused.

“You’re Dean Winchester, right?” She took a slinking step closer to him and ran a lithe fingertip down his chest.

“The hell-? Those were crocodile tears, huh?”

“Mm, I just came to warn you,” she unfolded her hand and ran it dangerous low on his body.

Dean snatched her wrist with a steel grip, “Warn me about what?”

She leaned forward close enough to whisper in his ear, the flutter of her long lashes grazed over his cheek, “That your time is up.”

Dean shoved her away with a force that should have sent her tumbling backwards, but she only staggered a step or two. They stared each other down for a moment and Dean’s mind began working a mile a minute, “What the fuck do you want?”

“You. Obviously. When the assassin who killed your dear old fam reported back, apparently they _missed_ one. I was sent to finish the job, but when you were no where in the city I pulled the witch card from my bag of tricks.” She sneered cruelly, “Lo and behold, the locator spell I used told me you just ... vanished. Which is _odd_ ,” she raised a thoughtful finger to her chin and tapped twice, “Because even with a locator spell, it should have led me to your dead body. Which is why I traced your tracks all the way out to the desert and to the point where you fell off the grid.”

Dean stiffened and fell to a defensive stance. He knew this wasn’t good.

“You know what I found? A way down into the earth. Although I gotta say, that river was a _bitch_ to swim through, I'm glad I wore waterproof mascara today.”

“You sure do talk a lot,” Dean taunted, because if she was going to attack he wished she’d just get it over with.

“Just wanted to brag about how I hit the jackpot. Not _only_ do I get to kill you, I’ll be delivering news to the Capitol about this little underground city full of new _play things_. You know we’re running low top-side, right?”

“You’ll never make it past me, you black-eyed bitch. Consider your promotion a bust.”

“Such a cheeky orphan,” she taunted and lighting-fast, reached down and pulled a dagger out from her belt.

She charged forward, the cold metal flashing in the artificial lights and sliced through empty air. Dean was raised by hunters, he knew how to dodge, how to fight. But the demon’s speed kicked into overdrive and before he realized, he was flat on his back. He’d still managed to catch her wrist, keeping the blade from slashing his throat.

Surprise was written on her face as he drove a knee into her stomach and knocked the dagger out of her hand. Dean scrambled to his haunches, as _she_ scrambled back to the dagger and wished the peace here didn’t leave him so unprepared. He should have listened to Cas - he should have been training with Anna, like he ordered. But, no, he was drinking his fucking feeling and being an idiot.

He wasn’t a officer yet, he was still a civilian, and hadn’t been given a single weapon.

At home, when he’d been above ground there were blades, devil’s traps practically hidden every two feet, close enough to defend at any time.

Here, he was practically helpless against a demon by himself.

Something caught the corner of his eye and he nearly laughed at the outrageous thought that sprung into his head.

_Well, between a rock and a hard place, you make it fuckin' work-_

He kicked her before she could reach the blade, and rolled back to where he’d been standing, where he’d _dropped the pretzel sticks_ from his visit to the market. His fingernails scraped the surface of his snack and, before he could second guess himself, chucked the handful of crumbs at the woman.

Her skin sizzled and she fell to her knees with a yelp.

“Betcha haven’t gotten a taste of _salt_ in a while. That’s how we do things down here,” his cocky grin faltered when he saw the murderous fire in her eyes and knew this wasn't over.

There was still steam burning off her body as she struggled with renewed passion to grab at the dagger. That’s when Dean knew he was fucked.

She was quick, enraged, and moving faster than the speed of light. Her form flashed from side to side as she barreled towards him and before Dean knew what hit him-

\- he felt blood.

Pouring from his side.

He looked down, not even registering the pain of the blade digging into him, but the warm trickle of red staring to gush out and down his body. The two locked eyes and he wanted to punch that wide grin off the bitch’s face if only he didn’t feel so -

\- _dizzy_.

“Fuck,” he hit the ground, the blade still lodged in his flesh and he almost missed the shouts.

“Dean!”

The familiar blonde hair of Jo came into view and then the pain crashed upon him like a wave. The dagger was ripped out, replace by her hands to get the bleeding to stop.

When his head lulled to the side, he could see his assailant falling to her knees and steaming madly from the holy-water bath Garth had doused her with.

Charlie had run up from the side and was lungi-

\- the cloud made the world blurry, kept creeping in more and more _..._  soon all he could see were Jo’s terrified eyes and her yelling, “Don’t you fucking pass out, Dean! Stay with me! C'mon, we’re gonna get you-”

Darkness.

\----------

“- and you left him _alone_?!” Jo yelled at the brunette, her voice echoing down the hallway of their headquarters.

Meg crossed her legs and tried to look indifferent, but the event had definitely shaken her. “He was pouting like a goddamned infant! He needed to cool off and, I apologize, I’m not exactly a gold-star _babysitter_.”

“You’re a fucking gold-star pain in the ass!” The girl couldn’t control her anger, feeling Dean’s blood gushing between her fingers as she tried to stop it was still ghosting across her hands.

She _never_ wanted to feel something like that again. Even now, it was a ruddy brown, flaking off, and felt impossibly heavy against her palms. It was weighted - but there _wasn't fucking time_ to wash them clean.

Charlie was jiggling her leg, chin in her hands as she tried to still herself in the squeaking plastic chair. She was silent, she hadn’t said a word since she knocked the demon bitch out and threw her into a devil’s trap and then into one of the interrogation rooms. She was terrified and, although Garth had sewed people up before, it still stressed her out to no end that they’re only medic on the scene was a fucking _dentist_.

She tried to justify med school was med school, and if Dean could be stitched up without Charlie and Gabriel’s expertise, that’d be for the best. They didn't want to risk him coming back something less than human like Anna...

The man rushed out of the room, blood staining the sleeves of his shirt and took role call.

“All right, all right, we need to do a blood transfusion, stat. No demons, no fallen angels, one of you boring old human types, hustle in here,” his voice was strained, flustered and he retreated back just as fast as he’d burst out.

Jo shot a death glare at Meg and followed Charlie in.

Meg quickly shoved them aside and stomped into the room before the girls could settle.

“What’s your fucking problem?!” Jo snapped, and Meg rolled her eyes.

“Are you all stupid, or is today just an off day for you?” Her calm-collected tone was broken as soon as she laid eyes on Dean’s pale face and clammy skin. “Someone run and get Gabriel.”

“What are you talking about? He needs _blood_ , not a damn _comedy act_ right now!” Jo was seething, clenching her fists, unable to understand why the demon was getting in the way. She was two seconds away from throwing a right hook-

“I’m not about to let Castiel’s little pet die! The Righteous Man was brought forth by the blood of a _demon_ and an _angel_ , right? Somehow I don’t think a little splash of good ol' human blood is going to cut it,” She focused her eyes on Charlie, who looked visibly spooked. “ _Please_ tell me your brain is actually working today, Red?”

She opened her mouth a few times before getting out, “I think you’re right. Jo,” she looked apologetically to the other girl, “Please get Gabriel, I think Meg’s figured it out.”

Jo threw her hands up in frustration and literally sprinted out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Meg sat down next to the tools Garth had set up, but he was nervous and hesitated before he picked up the needle, “Meg... Are you _sure_ about this?”

Thankfully, he had the tact to address her and not tuck tail and turn to Charlie.

“Righteous Man needs to be strong, right? If he can’t even take down a run-of-the-mill, low-level, Trilogy-lackey right now, he needs a power shake. I have a feeling a demon slash former archangel Slurpee might do the trick.” She sneered, then grumbled, “It makes more _sense_ with the prophesy.”

Garth knew they didn’t have a lot of time, so he picked up the needle and hurried to slide it carefully in the crease of Meg’s arm. She raised an eyebrow and smirked at how unnecessarily gentle he was, but didn’t say anything.

It was just in Garth’s nature. The Apocalypse and hell on earth hadn't hardened him, at all. 

Charlie had moved to sit on the side of Dean’s bed and run a hand through his hair. He wasn’t just the Righteous Man to her. Not anymore. She hated how everyone seemed to be freaking out and treating him as a _weapon_ lost, and not a _human_. He was a friend and what hurt in her gut wasn’t the thought of losing the war, but losing _him_.

The transfusion had been active for about five minutes before another voice rang through the hallway.

“Comin’ through, comin’ through!” Then Gabriel was collapsing in the other chair next to Meg.

For the first time, in a long time, he didn’t look amused.

“You good-for-nothings couldn’t keep him safe a _week_ without Cas?!” He glared and looked at Charlie who was still stroking Dean’s forehead. “Yay or nay? I don’t trust miss short, dark and demon on this, you _really_ need my blood?”

Charlie didn’t look up from Dean’s face but nodded. Her voice seemed far away as she responded, “Yeah. It makes sense.”

“Makes sense? That’s all you muttonheads got?!” He demanded angrily around the room.

“It’s not like we have a fucking _manual_ to work off, dude!” Charlie finally broke out of her trance and narrowed her eyes to him, “Are you going to do it or not?”

Gabriel sighed loudly and held out his arm, “Stick it to me, Mr. Fizzles.”

Silence fell through the room and no one said anything.

If this went wrong, they were all in deep shit.


	7. Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Cut to the chase, bitch. What went oh so wrong? It looked like you did a pretty damn good job of murdering my family in cold blood!” Dean couldn’t keep the venom out of his voice._
> 
> _She cocked her head, “Why do you think you were left alive?”_
> 
> _“Because they did a sloppy fucking job,” Dean didn’t understand what she was getting at._
> 
> _“Wrong.” Her glare deepened, “There was supposed to be one survivor, and it sure as shit wasn’t you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/29/15

The first thing Dean noticed when he felt reality creep back was that his body was practically thrumming with energy.

The second thing was warmth, that perfect kind of body warmth up against him, and it was an amazing distraction from the searing pain in his side.

But, yeah, the pain was definitely the third thing.

“Hey...” a soft, feminine voice called out to him and he took a long time opening his eyes.

Jo was leaning over him, seated on the edge of the bed to his side and - when he glanced down - Charlie was curled up against his uninjured side.

“Well, shit,” he snickered out, “Makes sense the first time I wake up in bed with two hot chicks, I can’t even move because I was killed.”

“Pshh,” Jo clapped him lightly on the side of the face, “you weren’t killed. Although, it doesn’t surprise me this’d be your version of heaven. Glad Cas has a giant fuckin' bed or else we wouldn’t be here snuggling your gimp-ass.”

“Hmm, wish Cas was here in bed too-” Dean stopped abruptly, “I didn’t mean to say that. Why did I say that?”

“The Underground’s magic,” Jo giggled. “Also known as, bomb-ass pain meds.”

“Fuck, now I’m embarrassed.” Dean lifted his free hand that wasn’t wrapped in Charlie’s embrace to cover his eyes.

Jo snickered but didn’t say anything else. Thank God for small miracles.

“How long’ve I been out?”

“You’ve almost passed the one-week mark. We were kinda scared for a second there,” Jo got to her feet and stretched out. “I’ll go tell the others that you’re alive and kicking.”

“Kicking, huh? Don’t think I’m in any shape to get out my dancin’ shoes just yet.” Dean sighed and let himself revel in the happy-fuzzy feeling of narcotics coursing through his body, “You been keeping a quiet vigil the whole time?”

Jo actually laughed, but then smiled something too demure for him, “You woulda done the same thing for us. Just a big softie.”

Dean cracked a smile, “Okay, take your leave and report to the crew. Avoiding death, check.”

“I’ll be back soon,” she gave his shoulder a little squeeze and left.

It was the noise of the door slamming shut that had Charlie stirring. She looked up to him through sleepy eyes and blinked when she saw the clear green ones in front of her.

“Am I dreaming?”

Dean snickered, “Nah, if you were dreaming I’d have tits and be _much_  more naked.”

“Holy shit, you’re awake!” Charlie sat up and pressed a sloppy kiss on his forehead and pulled away with a large smacking noise, “Yeah, you’re right, you’re way too flat for my taste, but you _are_ naked,” she teased with an impish grin.

“Shit, you girls been taking advantage of me while I’m comatose?” Dean gasped in fake-horror. “That’s kinky. Me likely.”

“Oh, how I’ve missed my wildly-inappropriate, horny bestie.” She sighed and yawned a little, “What’d I do without you? Who would I have to tease and have girly-time with?”

“I’m not your gay BFF, Charlie.”

“Oh yeah?” She raised an eyebrow with an unspoken challenge. “I beg to differ.”

“I’m not officially gay until I actually bone Cas.” His eyes grew wider in shock that those words had actually left his mouth. “Goddammit, these painkillers are worse than truth serum!”

She cackled and made the motion of zipping her lips, “Your secret’s safe with me. Although, you’re required to tell me as soon as the bone-age happens, so I can officially dub you into gay BFF status, yeah?”

“Fat fuckin’ chance,” Dean groaned, but then tried to sit up, “Shit, is he back yet? You said it’s been another week?”

Charlie sighed and shook her head, “No, he’s not. But it should be any day now.”

The alarm in his chest grew but before he could ask anything else the door swung open.

“Well, shit, boy. You look like you’ve been through the ringer!” Ellen walked into the room followed by Jo and another startlingly familiar face.

“Holy fuck,” Dean was speechless for a second, “ _Bobby_?!”

Charlie quickly moved out of the way so the pair could move in to his bedside.

“Why you look so surprised, ya idjit. Didn’t think I’d die that easily, did ya?” Bobby groused but had the most tender look on his face Dean could ever remember seeing.

“Where the fuck have you been?! Why haven’t I saw you?!”

Bobby shrugged, “First week you were here, Ellen and I were laid up with the flu, and then the second week you’d gone and got your fool-ass _stabbed_. Not quite enough time for a reunion.”

“Touché...” Dean mumbled, and then looked down to notice Ellen and Bobby’s hands intertwined. He raised an eyebrow, “Oh, so a _flu_ , huh? Who gave it to who?”

Ellen snorted as Dean made some ridiculous kiss-y faces (apparently the meds made him annoying, too), and then she sat down next to him. “It’s damn good to see you, Dean. It’s been too long.”

Dean couldn't keep the smile off his face. This was the best new, the best reunion he could have asked for, “You too, Ellen. Never thought I’d see you guys again, it’s...really awesome.”

“Enough with the sappy shit, we’ll let you rest. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t kick the bucket,” Bobby gripped Dean’s shoulder briefly and smiled back. “Soon as you’re off bed rest, we’ll see ya ‘round. I’d like to beat your ass in poker again.”

Dean nodded and chuckled softly, “I’d like to see you try.”

Ellen gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and a small wave as they left. They knew that rest was the main thing that Dean needed at the moment and wanted to make their appearance brief so he could get as much as possible. After all, the sooner he was back on his feet, the sooner they could all catch up without worry of exhausting him.

With their exit, it left Charlie and Dean alone again. Her stomach rumbled loudly and a pink blush washed over her face, making Dean snort, “Go get something to eat, I’ll be fine.”

She smirked, “Maybe I’ll get some pretzel sticks, apparently they’re the breakfast of champions _and_ a very dangerous weapon.”

“Shit, how’d you find out about that?” Dean snorted as the memory of the fight came back to him.

“Badass detective work. Plus, Ruby was covered in freakin' crumbs and still sizzling right before we gave her a holy water bath.” Charlie reached out for a high-five, “I knew there was a reason I liked ya, McIver.”

Dean returned it with a dopey grin, that quickly turned serious.

“Ruby?”

“Yeah, that's the demon witch-bitch’s name. She is literally crazy and I’m glad we were able to get there in time.” Charlie shrugged. "We were lucky, dude. Like, hella lucky."

“Did you gank her?” Dean shifted a little in bed, “Wish I’d have been able to do it myself. She played me and I had my guard down. Shoulda seen it coming, God _,_ I was stupid.”

“Dean, it's not your fault, really. We shouldn't have left you without a weapon, trust me, I'm kicking myself for that," she paused and hoped he felt the severity of her words. "But no, no ganking. We’ve been holding her for interrogation,” she grabbed the hair tie around her wrist and pulled her locks back, “Haven’t managed to get much out of her. Not like we’ve been trying, though. We were all kinda distracted making sure you were okay.”

“Don’t you think getting information out of her would be a little bit more top-priority than some injured civilian? You guys are shit soldiers.”

“Yeah, but we’re all right humans, so that’s gotta count for something, right,” she winked. “Give yourself more credit, champ. You’ve kinda grown on us. Like a tumor.”

“Ha ha. So she didn’t tell you _anything_?” Dean knew he’d told Charlie to get food, but curiosity was getting the better of him. “What could you even hope to get out of her?”

“The usual - any diabolical Trilogy plans, problems with the water, new fashion trends coming this fall,” she shrugged.

“The water? Isn’t that what Cas is investigating right now?”

She looked a little guilty, “Yeah, but we need answers _now_ , those crops aren’t going to grow themselves.”

She was keeping something from him, he knew it.

“He’s never been gone this long, has he?” Dean’s voice was barely above a whisper. And he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

“I mean-” Charlie and Dean both knew she was a terrible liar, so she might as well just tell the truth, “He’s been way gone longer before, but he’s usually able to get a message back to us by now. It doesn’t mean anything, he’s probably been too busy doing mission-y stuff, but if we can find out things from this chick why not, right?”

Her smile was a little forced, “I’m sure he’ll be back soon. But we can’t wait around for him. We've got a whole city to take care of.”

Dean nodded.

What else could he do.

He started to zone out, only to be startled back to reality with Charlie’s face _right_ back up in his.

“Hey, don’t think about it,” she said kindly and poked him in the nose. “I know you haven’t known him that long, but he’s been through way more and we just gotta sit tight. He’s gonna come back. Little do you know, Castiel is not _only_ dreamy, but he's all sorts of badass. Wouldn't be our leader if he wasn't, right? So there's nothing to worry about.”

“Thanks, Charlie.”

She stepped away and looked to the little table set up besides the bed. “The good news is I think you’re ready for your next dose of happy. So let’s get it down the hatch and you’ll be able to sleep a little more! Who knows, maybe you'll have some nice dreams about a certain someone.” She winked and then scooted the table closer to him. Charlie pointed to the spread on the tabletop, “These blue ones are to take the edge off, and the white ones will be a straight ticket to dream land. I’ll let ya chose your poison.”

Dean gave her a tight smile, “Sounds good. See you on the flip side?”

“Over and out!” And she skipped off.

Left alone, Dean took a few deep breaths and eyed the pill bottle sitting next to him.

He wouldn’t let his thoughts linger on Cas.

The best he could do right now was get better, so once Castiel did return home, he could kick his ass for scaring the crap out of him. Yeah. That sounded like a fan-fucking-tastic plan...

He reached out and grabbed a couple of the white pills.

He was gonna kick his ass so hard.

\------------

The next time Dean awoke, it was from a churning in his stomach. The thrumming energy that was once in his body felt like it had bubbled up and was aching to escape. He didn’t know if it was the pain meds on an empty stomach or what, but something just felt _wrong_.

He knew he wasn’t going to make it to a bathroom and no one was there to help him. He was panicked and couldn’t do much besides hurtle himself to the side of the bed and spew his guts.

He wasn’t expecting anything but the water he’d taken the pills with to come back out.

He was dead wrong.

A splash of crimson decorated the floor and heave after heave made the puddle grow.

His eyes were wide and watering, but he swore for a moment... the blood swirled and glowed faintly.

A few gags later, he started to sober up from the adrenaline rush and put his thoughts together. What was going on inside his body?

He felt weak, but not lightheaded as he would feel from blood loss.

He was confused - but the only thing he could think to do was to grab a black pair of sweat pants he'd kicked off to the side of the bed and try to mop up the mess.

It took a few poor attempts, but he finally scrubbed the evidence away and tucked the make-shift towel under the bed.

He sat for a few minutes trying to figure out what was wrong.

He wasn’t dizzy, no, not anymore.

His wound didn’t hurt more than it had earlier.

But there was something... _off_ inside him. That same sense of wrong he'd felt before he'd covered the floor in blood didn't ebb, it had only intensified...

He’d never felt anything like this before.

Maybe when his mind cleared, he’d be able to figure it out, but sleep was calling again and he didn’t want to scare the shit out of his friends.

Hopefully, it would pass.

\----------

He was beginning to go stir-crazy, that was for sure. There were so many unanswered questions, so many things that he knew people just weren’t going to tell him. They wanted him to focus on his ‘health,’ they weren’t going to stress him out and fill him in on the things he _needed_ to know- so that meant he was just going to have to find answers himself.

He hadn’t told anyone about the bloody Niagara Falls days earlier, because it hadn't happen again.

He was going to keep it to himself as long as he had to.

Since his own body had acted as a traitor, it was only once. For the most part, he was healing - there was one more thing that he could do.

Pay someone a little visit.

Dean feigned sleep around his friends, and stayed clean of pills for the morning even though it hurt like a bitch. He made sure he heard all the doors click shut before he even dared to get up. He had to plan this carefully.

He was moving slowly, how could he _not_ , but at least he was coherent and in his right mind - free of the sedating effects of the meds Charlie brought him.

Sure, they worked and were fun but this wasn’t the time. He had a job to do.

He silently padded through the space, navigating the halls with an uncertainty, but he had a good guess as to where he was heading.

If the struggle and clank of chains was anything to go by, that is.

He opened the door just as timidly as he’d been moving - and a pair of eyes shot to him the second he was inside the room.

“Oh, Dean,” the demon surrounded by the Devil’s Trap, and fully restrained cooed, “Didn’t know you’d be out and about quite yet. I suppose I’m losing my touch.”

“Ruby, is it?” Dean crossed his arms but walked right to the edge of the Devil's Trap to stare down at her.

Her face was bruised and swollen - but there were minimal cuts and blood.

Guess they favored the brute force over carving approach around here.

“In the flesh,” she sneered. “Well, in someone else’s flesh but details, details.”

He walked around the outside of the fresh red paint to make sure she was truly secure. There was no doubt he would end up dead if she tried to attack him in his current state. Especially given the fact he was weaponless. As he finished his full lap, he looked into the demon’s eyes.

“Were _you_ the one who killed my family?”

Straight to the point.

“No,” she was surprisingly quick to say, “I was following up. I knew something was wrong when the demon who did it avoided reporting back right away. Seems he got his wire’s crossed in the assassination.”

“Wires crossed?”

“An idiot who's not used to dirty work. Didn’t follow the directions very well,” she tried to lean back and look casual. Well, as casual as she could have looked, being bound so tightly with purple and blue welts across her face.

“Directions?”

“Are you a fuckin’ parrot?” She ground her teeth, and that’s when he knew something wasn’t right.

She shouldn’t have been getting so defensive about this. This was a new side of her, a change from the cool confidence she’d shown in the marketplace. Maybe she was ready to break and it was up to _Dean_ to take care of it. To make her snap her in the moment.

“Cut to the chase, bitch. What went oh so wrong? It looked like you did a pretty damn good job of ordering the hit and murdering fuckin' my family in cold blood!” He couldn’t keep the venom out of his voice.

She cocked her head, “Why do you think you were left alive?”

“Because they did a sloppy fucking job,” Dean didn’t understand what she was getting at.

“Wrong.” Her glare deepened, “There was supposed to be _one_ survivor, and it sure as shit wasn’t _you_.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How does it feel to be responsible for your _brother’s_ death _?_ ” There was a malicious glint in her eyes, but also a kind of... sadness? ...he couldn’t that figure out.

“S-Sammy? _He_ was supposed to live?” A shock-wave rolled through his entire body as the news shook Dean to his very core.

“Took you long enough. You were a _mistake_. You practically murdered your brother yourself, leaving him alone like that. It was supposed to be _you,_ not him!” Her voice was growing in intensity.

Dean’s mouth was dry as it dropped open - Sammy was supposed to be alive? It had been a mistake? And it was his fault, he'd been gone and shit went sideways, he'd practically signed Sam's death warrant himself.

He ripped his focus away from the demon, pounded his fist into the door and tried to blink away the tears.

His thoughts were running a mile a minute, he'd rather be dead if it meant his brother could live, he'd take his place in an instant if he could. Holy hell, it really was all his fault, he ended up escaping and left Sam to die and-

Dean had only one coherent thought, while balancing on the edge of a breakdown.

He slowly turned back to Ruby and asked, voice hoarse and low, “Why were _any_ of us supposed to live?”

She greeted him with a well-practiced, neutral express.

“Sam.” She stopped and had to restart, her mask slipping little by little. “I met him a while ago, and he was kind. Trusting. Had no idea I was a demon and I kept it that way. There was something about his...his  _goodness_  that reminded me of something I’d lost. When the order arrived, I made a deal with the assassin, paid him off to ‘forget one,’ to let Sam get away.” The bitter tone came again and all of her rage tore her facade to shreds, “It backfired, and now _you’re_ alive and one of the only good things about above ground is gone!"

Dean tried to keep himself together. She was vulnerable, hell, _he_ was vulnerable, too - but this was something.

Something he could use.

“This was revenge? You were enraged I was the only survivor. You went to fix the mistake yourself.”

“You should be dead! And, hello, demon? We thrive on revenge.”

“Not a good look for you,” but he soon put two and two together and it all clicked. “No one knows you’re here. You went out by yourself. No one’s going to follow you and even notice you’re missing.”

“Bullshit." She spat out, rolling her eyes. "Of course they’ll come after me, they knew the plan. If one of their high-ranking officers disappears they’ll be flying over here to figure out why.”

“You’re bluffing,” Dean was _more_ than confident now. He knew he was right and it filled him with conviction. “You paid off a demon to keep Sam alive in the first place. You’d be in deep shit for that. Not to mention, no one was supposed to know there was a survivor, even if it had ended up being me. This is revenge for _you_. This is you cleaning up your mistake. You wouldn’t announce it to the guards, other officers, hell, even your buddies without fear of punishment. Someone would squeal because that's how demons work. They'd throw you under the bus in a split-second if it meant getting ahead.”

Dean leaned into her space, “No one will come looking for you. No one will find you. You’re stuck and have nothing left to lose, which is why you spilled your heart out to me.” He crossed his arms and stood back, the silence a form of confirmation, “Poor, poor Ruby. No way around it, you’re royally fucked.”

She did nothing but stare. Ruby didn't open her mouth once, Dean could see her bite her lip hard enough to draw blood through narrowed eyes.

Once she did speak, all she said was, “If we’re done here, get out,” her voice was soft in the silence of the room.

“Gladly.” Dean turned around abruptly and all but ran to his room.

He’d tried to stuff it down. Tried to ignore it, tried to get out of his head so he didn’t have to face the facts. It was a slap in the face.

 _No_.

More like a fucking _bullet_ to the _head._

He collapsed into bed, his body shaking violently, and he all but knocked over the glass on the small table grappling for the pills.

Dean wasn't in the dark anymore; he was under a spotlight - now that he had the knowledge that it was his fault his little brother was dead.

Ruby was _right_ \- it might as well have been him to slit his brother's throat with that knife. Sam’s blood was on his hands and he couldn’t keep the tears back or the sobs down anymore.

He shoved his face so deep into the pillow, that hopefully it’d muffle the noise.

He was breaking down. He didn’t want anyone to see it.

Dean couldn’t deal with the guilt.

Couldn’t deal with reality, and while the Underground had been a distraction, one mention of his brother’s name and it all came crashing back. All of it, like a wrecking ball.

His body was wrecked with the sobs, and with every convulsion, his side lit up with that burn. He could _feel_ his stitches pulling at the fresh wound.

He _welcomed_ the pain. It was the least he deserved _._  He had stolen Sam's chance at life, and to what? Go wander out into the desert and die? Like a fucking coward. God, he was pathetic, he was a fucking waste. Sam was gone, the most _important person_ in the world to him, the one who he'd sworn to protect had been sacrificed. Sam would have been an asset to the Underground, he would have thrived down here, he more than earned this second chance, _not_ Dean, he- _  
_

He was too caught up in his thoughts and misery to hear the door open and a hand on his shoulder until he jerked up at the touch.

“Fuck, I really don’t want to deal with you right now,” his voice was hoarse and torn apart as he caught sight of Meg through his blurry vision.

“Oh yeah? Planning on bleeding out again?”

She shoved him to his back and pulled out the kit Garth had kept in the side drawer. She removed clean bandages and - a needle?- it was _then_ Dean looked down and, indeed, his stitches had tore. Maybe it would have been better to bleed out - just _maybe_...

“I’m not going to do my freaky-mind read thing, just - _please,_ lay back and let me take care of this.” Meg sounded almost clinical and Dean was happy he didn’t have to deal with her sarcasm.

He didn’t like looking weak, so this gave him the push he needed to pull himself together. He couldn’t exactly be convulsing and hysterical while he was getting sewn up. No, he _needed_ to get his shit together because if there was one person he didn't want to give the benefit of seeing him like this - it was this demon.

She pulled off the bandages and examined the wound, Dean refused to look, before threading the needle.

“Sorry, the bleeding’s kind of bad. I don’t think I have time to numb it.”

“’S ok. Pills are kicking in,” he muttered and raised his arms to cover his face.

He could feel the _stab_ and _pull_ of his flesh, but, surprisingly the numbness of his mind washed through his body too. She hummed as she fixed it, and grabbed the antiseptic once her work was finished, to cleanse the wound.

“All done, would you like a sticker and a lollipop?” Of course, serious Meg wouldn’t last for long.

“Hey,” Dean felt unconsciousness tug at the edge of his mind, but he still had to get the news out: the news about his discovery. “R-Ruby came without orders. No one knows she’s here. She went renegade and made sure to keep her trip secret. We’re safe, for now.”

Meg froze on the bed. “You got that out of her?”

“I think she’s given up.”

She snorted out, “Well, I should scold you for wandering, but you’re punishing yourself enough as it is. She was a tough cookie to crack. You did good, kid.”

“Awesome,” he mumbled and finally felt himself drift off, “Thanks, or whatever.”

“Guess you’re not that bad after all.”


	8. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Dean rolled over and lifted up the covers, “Get in. Your bed has been seeing slumber party action for weeks without you. It’s only fair.”_
> 
> _There was a grin stretching on Cas' face when he removed the worn uniform and remained in a t-shirt and sweatpants. “Slumber party action?” He repeated before slipping in besides Dean, “Who have you been coaxing into my bed?”_
> 
> _“You know, all the hotties of The Underground.” He sneered, “And by that, I mean Jo and Charlie. One time Garth tried for cuddle-therapy and I woke up next to Mr. Fizzles, but that was a traumatic moment for me.” He shuddered at the thought, “Gabriel tried to read me a bedtime story when I was out-of-my-mind on morphine towards the beginning. And I’m glad he’s not a parent, because that was not kid-friendly.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/29/15

Hearing about Sam was rough.

Rough was an understatement.

His side felt raw on the inside - raw from the new stitches Meg had thrown together, but he was strangely grateful to the demon.

Didn’t mean he liked her, though.

He couldn’t wrap his head around the _sorrow_ in Ruby’s eyes when she talked about his brother.

Dean wanted the full story, but that didn’t mean he was ready to hear it yet. He wasn't ready for much of anything, really.

He was honestly expecting Meg to have put Ruby out of her misery, after being sure there’d be no repercussions. The demon was working alone. No one would find her. If Dean were Meg, he'd have put a goddamn bullet between her eyes right then and there.

Which is why this time he went wandering, he was surprised to peek into the room and find her.

But she definitely wasn’t in the best shape.

She didn’t even seem _coherent_ , slumped over in the chair.

It looked like someone had worked her over for good measure but she was still very much alive.

She tried to lift her chin up to stare at him, but the weight was too much and her head lulled back against her chest.

Last time he’d been in this room, he was practically crazed by the urge to interrogate her but now that he was a bit calmer, he heard something.

Something that sounded like - rushing water?

It was coming from another door, on the other side of the interrogation room where Ruby was being held.

Curiosity got the best of him and, sparing a glance at the demon, he followed it.

When he passed the door, it led to a smaller hallway with two doors on each side.

Now he was certain, that couldn’t have been anything _but_ -

-Still, it made him uneasy. There was this gut-feeling that told him nothing good was going to come of it, because he logically knew what was on the other side... So why was he so compelled to _look_?

Did he honestly want to _see_ what was just beyond the door? Fuck him and his damn snooping.

He took a deep breath with his hand wrapped around the doorknob.

And pulled.

It wasn’t the sound at the front of the river that made him freeze in place.

It was the _smell_.

The rancid, musty smell he was much too familiar with.

The smell of death.

He reached blindly along the side of the wall, terrified of the darkness before he reached a light switch-

\- and immediately wished he hadn’t.

The room was as large as the gathering room at the soldier’s quarters, but instead of pool tables, a bar and couches it was stacked with dead bodies.

 _Dozens_ upon _dozens_ of dead bodies.

They were in various states of decay, some as fresh as a week old and others-

\- he had _no idea_ how old the others were, there was more decay than body.

They’d gotten to the point where their flesh was practically melting off, and their bones were visible through the holes.

Some had their eyes opened, the dead stares glancing out in such an eerie way it looked as if they would reanimate and crawl back to life at any moment.

Dean’s knees felt weak, not only from the corpses, but the river - only _yards_ away. It may be running shallow, but the current was enough to drag anyone away into oblivion.

The bodies were a mix of uniformed Trilogy officers and the scrappy clothed corpses of civilians. The uniformed bodies were meat suits, frozen in time with their mouths gaping open from where a demon had either smoked out and fled, or been incinerated inside its host. The civilians were a variety of slit throats, with spinal cords poking out, gunshots to the head with brains that had leaked in chunks to the floor and - and pale faces with no visible injuries whatsoever. Were these the remains of those who had just drowned?

Dean _had_ to get out of there.

He needed to leave, get the smell out of his nose and try to forget the image that was inevitably burned into his eyes.

He needed the pills, the alcohol, some kind of distraction-

\- he slammed the door and stalked through the corridor before he slumped right outside where Ruby was being held.

He didn’t want to see her face, but he needed to get away _,_ and the only way out... was past _her_. His hands were planted firmly against another door, which opened from the pressure alone.

Fuck, what was going to be behind this one? He didn't even want to know. Every door lead to another nightmare and he couldn't even imagine what new horror was shut in here. It kept getting worse and worse, and after the river he didn't think he could take much more of this.

He was almost turned around... until he felt a _pull_.

His heart beat impossibly faster than the fight or flight adrenaline already coursing through his veins in front of the river. It was going to beat out of his fucking chest...

Dean whipped around to enter a dimly lit room.

He stepped in slowly, and that was when he realized the glow was pouring out through the cracks of a locked box.

Like Sleeping Beauty to the poison needle, he felt himself unexplained drawn in.

It was tunnel vision, the only thing in existence was whatever was trapped behind the iron-sided plates.

His palm was on the cool metal before he knew it, and he could have been there completely lose in time anywhere between minutes and hours. 

There was a strange heat burning against his hand and it wasn't until the moment a small wisp seemed to brush along him, that he _knew_ what was.

It was the energy that had escaped from his body weeks ago.

It was calling to him, _begging_ him forward, but once he realized it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox did his brain finally kick in and tell him he shouldn’t be here. There had to be a reason for the security, the sigils surrounding it, the precautions to keep people away or... keep _it_ locked up?

Still...it felt like a missing part of him-

But it wasn’t.

Dean had rationalized: it was dangerous, not to mention he couldn’t open it without a key or a lock-pick and he didn’t have either of those. Plus, who knew what kind of spell work was placed around it? He could get blown into next week if he fucked with the box.

He needed to get away.

Dean tried, for the second time, to leave and even though his feet froze again he fought tooth and nail against it and propelled forward to slam the door shut behind him. It was terrifying that glowing ball had such control over him and he didn't even know what the hell it was. 

He didn’t spare a glance at Ruby when he stalked across the room - that hallway was full of fifty shades of wrong and he couldn’t be there a second more.

There was a warm wash of that previous nausea he choked it down and refused, he  _fucking refused_  to be in that position again.

This time, he heard people were in the building and tried to slow his shaky steps.

He was within sight of his room when something else stopped him dead in his tracks.

But a completely different kind of stop.

Instead of screaming assassins, boisterous cheers of drunken friends, or even the chanting of spells he heard -

\- _moaning_?

And _not_ the dying kind of moaning.

The, I’m-getting-railed-and-it’s-fantastic kind of moaning.

So _obviously_ he hesitated.

Until he realized what the fuck it was.

He totally wanted to hurl for a different kind of reason, hearing the muffled dirty-talk of _Meg_  and the breathless whimpers of _Anna_.

As soon as it clicked, he fled like a terrified rabbit and wondered if the day could get any worse, because he was in some serious need of brain-bleach. Or a whole goddamn do-over of the past twenty-four hours. God, did he wish.

\--------

Jo and Charlie were chatting over dinner and picking at their salads when Gabriel walked into the room with a strangely neutral expression.

Clearly, both of the women were weary and Jo was the first to ask, “Who ate your chocolate, Gabe?”

He shrugged and pulled up a stool before grabbing Charlie’s side of bread and stuffing it in his mouth.

“Things are just getting really exciting around here,” Gabriel sneered but his voice lacked his usual glee of an impending announcement. “For the first time, the party is being brought to us. And I didn't even have to go above ground!”

“Well don’t beat around the bush, what are you talking about?” Jo smacked him on the side of the arm.

Gabriel grumbled around the bread, something that sounded distantly like, _“I’ll beat around_ your _bush,_ ” until he swallowed and thoughtfully looked between the girls. “So, remember a super sexy chick that we couldn’t convince to come with us to the Underground? Usually goes by Tessa, but other times scary-hottie-reaper?”

“Spit it out!”

“Well, she may or may not be here, and by that, I mean she's in the greenhouse bearing a very interesting gift.”

“Holy shit.” The girls both pushed aside their meals and jumped to their feet. “You better not be fucking around right now,” Charlie warned and followed the man outside, who had a strange skip in his step.

That couldn’t mean anything good.

\---------

  
Dean finally stumbled back to the room, more than a little done with all the events that had transpired through the day. Where were those fucking pills? The searing ache was back in full effect and he felt like another creature was clawing, trying to escape - but through his side this time. If only he could make it to the other building - he could use some whiskey and a good old fashion black out. He was beginning to get cabin fever within these walls. Although he’d had plenty of visitors, that didn’t help him when he was staring at the ceiling at night, left alone with only his thoughts to keep him company.

Maybe he should have asked Charlie or Jo to spend the night again?

But they had their own lives.

It wasn’t their job to coddle him.

This was solitude: he was haunted by the dead, half decayed faces of the lifeless bodies in that damn room.

Maybe this was karma for exploring without a babysitter.

He groaned and collapsed back onto the bed. He pulled the blanket tightly around him and started chuckling to himself. Maybe the insanity was finally setting in.

“Everyone’s fuckin’ getting laid and being merry. All I got are you,” his fingers grazed over the pill bottle as he started fiddling with the top.

“What’s this about everyone getting laid?”

Dean snapped up and looked to the shadow walking into the room.

“...Cas?”

“Hello, Dean.”

Castiel was pulling his damp cloak off and draping it over a chair for it to dry, like he _hadn’t_ been fucking MIA for a _month_ and worrying Dean half to death. Cas was so infuriatingly calm about it. Dean didn't know whether to shout out, cry tears of joy, launch out of bed or do a friggen dance. Scratch that.

Two could play at this game.

“Ya know, Jo and Charlie making goo-goo eyes at each other. Bobby and Ellen in happily married bliss. Gabriel making sweet love to his candy. Anna and Meg having loud, rowdy lesbian sex a few doors down,” Dean jeered his thumb out to the hallway.

Cas ‘hmm’ed then asked, “And you’re having a love affair with prescription medication?”

He continued pulling off layers and Dean felt him mouth start to go dry as he watched his every move with reverie, “Y-Yeah. I mean, not a lot to do when you’re laid up with your guts spilling out.”

The man halted what he was doing and spun around, “You were injured?”

“Huh.” Dean just stared at him openly, “Thought one of the crew would’ve filled you in.”

Cas make a b-line for Dean’s bedside, “I came here as soon as I got back. What happened?” There was a panic in his voice.

“The usual,” Dean stretched out, wincing a little from the pull of bandages and stitches. Which reminded him to grab two pills and swallow them, letting Cas stew a little bit more. “Crazy demon bitch puts a locator spell on little ol' me, tries to kill me. I’m not armed, so I get stabbed, she gets a holy water bath and a room with a view plus a Devil’s Trap.”

“This is not funny, Dean, you were hurt,” He reached to pull the covers back and lifted up his shirt.

Dean promptly swatted him away, “Hey buddy, keep your hands to yourself. I’m fine.”

Cas looked rejected but withdrew his hands. However, he didn’t stop openly staring.

So he tried a different, lighter approach, “So you knew everyone was in the bone-zone, huh?”

“Bone-zone?” He echoed, with that small head tilt Dean had missed, “You mean intercourse, correct? Then yes, I’m aware of the... 'bone-zone.”

“Huh.” Dean said thoughtfully, “Guess everyone’s banging a few gongs before the lights go out.”

“It takes a lot of energy to keep up with your train of thought,” Cas sighed, “And I’m rather exhausted.”

He stood up and continued to mindlessly strip his clothes, leaving Dean to curse the darkness because he couldn’t get a good view, dammit. After the wet clothes slapped loudly on the floor and Dean smirked at a barely-there silhouette, Cas was pulling on dry clothes from the dresser. But then he started to pull on his uniform jacket over what looked to be pajamas.

“I’m truly sorry you got hurt, Dean, and I wasn’t there to help. I’ll leave you to rest,” he stepped into the pants next.

“Woah woah, where are _you_ going?” Dean tried to sit up in bed and move to Cas.

Didn’t work out so well.

“Oww, dammit.” He groaned and gripped the itching burn at his side.

Cas was back in a flash, “Do you need help?”

“Just waiting for the meds to kick in, but why are you leaving?”

There was a hesitation, “I... was going to leave you to sleep and use the spare room at the officer’s building.”

“Hell no,” Dean rolled over and lifted up the covers, “Get in. Your bed has been seeing slumber party action for _weeks_ without you. It’s only fair.”

There was a grin stretching on his face when he removed the worn uniform and remained in a t-shirt and sweatpants. “Slumber party action?” He repeated before slipping in besides Dean, “Who have you been coaxing into my bed?”

“You know, all the hotties of The Underground.” He sneered, “And by that I mean Jo and Charlie. One time Garth tried for cuddle-therapy and I woke up next to Mr. Fizzles, but that was a traumatic moment for me.” He shuddered at the thought, “Gabriel tried to read me a bedtime story when I was out-of-my-mind on morphine towards the beginning. And I’m glad he’s not a parent, because that was _not_ kid-friendly.”

Cas huffed a laugh as he settled back into the bed and pushed the side table a little farther away so he could stretch his arms above his head, “None of that surprises me in the least. I’m glad you’ve had the company while I’ve been away. And my bed received a lot of use.”

Dean rolled over and smirked, “Don’t tell me you’re jealous, fearless leader.”

He closed his eyes and stated, “Maybe a little.”

“Hate to break it to ya,” Dean snuggled towards Cas’ personal bubble a _little_ more, “All the attention was not worth the injury.”

“I wasn’t jealous over the attention, Dean. I was jealous the others got to spend so much time with you.”

Dean’s eyes snapped open and took stock of the small little smile gracing the man’s face. He grit his teeth and muttered, “Aw, you say the sweetest things.”

There was a silence that stretched through the space and for a second, Dean thought the other had fallen asleep. He was still thinking so many things but the tension seemed to drain from his body, partially because of his proximity to Cas, and partially because, well, the meds were kicking in.

Dean mentally said ‘fuck it’ and finally closed the distance between them until his head was resting on Castiel’s shoulder and he was pressed against the warmth of Cas’ side. And, damn, why didn't he do this sooner?

Apparently, Castiel wasn’t asleep yet, because he tensed for half a second, then caught himself and went lax. As his body relaxed, he dropped the hand from behind his head to gently card through Dean’s hair. And, wow, that was even _better_.

“Hey, Cas?”

“Hm?”

“After the corridor in the interrogation room... There’s a hallway, and the river-”

“I should have expected you to do something wandering,” Castiel’s finger paused in Dean’s locks, “I assume you’re wondering about what you found in there?”

Dean nodded. He was fine with letting the words go unspoken so he didn’t have to mull over the horrific scene of blank stares and the putrid smells.

“When we’re out on missions and it doesn’t go as smoothly as we plan... well, say we run into officers from the Trilogy - the easiest way to make the bodies disappear and go undetected is by throwing them in the river.”

“Yeah, I get that. But why don’t you just let them float, like, off and away? Not scoop 'em up and let them rot.”

“We get our water from the river, and we’re located at the most downstream section you can be. We have to pull the bodies out before they can reach the village's source, and contaminate our supply. There’s netting and an alarm system that alerts us when one comes through, and we pull them out until it’s clear to dispose of them. Sometimes we have to wait a bit for disposal.”

“Like fuckin' fishing, huh.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Dean. But these are the times we’re living in. We need to make sure the supply is as pure as it can get before we finish the purification. We wouldn’t want one lingering and poisoning our reservoir, it’s common sense.”

“Mm, wondered why the river smelled like death.” Dean moved around a little bit, the bandages irritating his skin, “What did you find out about the river above ground, anyway?”

“Don’t worry about that now. You can come when I give my report to the others in the morning.”

“'Kay, Cas.”

Dean was along the edge of being claimed by sleep when he muttered out one more thing: “So, why did you kiss me?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, straight up _attacked_ me, dude.”

A sheepish grin spread across Cas’ face, “I honestly wasn’t sure you were going to remember that. You were rather drunk.”

“So that was you taking advantage of me, huh?” Dean tilted his chin up to catch a glimpse of the content face above him. “Didn’t strike me as that kinda guy.”

“I apologize.”

“What if I liked it?”

“Did you?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, it’s all a little fuzzy, I could use some reminding,” Dean grinned as he casually antagonized him, “You know, to make _sure_ that I did.”

Castiel’s fingers brushed the bottom of Dean’s chin before tilting it upward and looking  _very_ obviously at his lips, “Are you sure it wouldn’t be taking advantage of you now? After all, you’re currently under the influence of narcotics. This is becoming a trend.”

Dean pouted, “Stop being so judge-y and just fucking kiss m-”

Cas closed the gap before Dean could even finish the rest of his sentence. But unlike last time, it wasn’t a fierce, animalistic kiss. It was passionate, but there was...

 _More_.

Dean could feel the smile on the other’s face as he tenderly pulled away, only to shift slightly so he could kiss him more _thoroughly_.

Cas’ calloused hands were as soothing as his mouth from where they was gently cupping his face. He slowly sucked on Dean’s bottom lip, drawing out a deep breath and taking advantage of his open mouth. It wasn’t sloppy or heated, just- kind of sweet. His tongue explored with relish, taking his time and enjoying every small whimper that escaped Dean’s throat. God, Dean had been hoping and waiting for this... and it was every bit as amazing as he'd imagined.

Dean raised his hands to overlap Cas’ and leaned into him, craving his touch. Cas nipped his lip ever so slightly and began trailing kisses from the side of his mouth, to his neck. He kept Dean on his toes, alternating between teasing bites, light kisses and downright erotic, full-mouthed gnaws. His tongue was doing things to Dean, and he couldn’t keep his moans quiet, especially when Cas’ mouth clamped down on his collarbone. They were already pressed so close together - he could feel his erection pressing against Castiel's leg and,  _God_ , he needed friction _now_.

He couldn’t help his hips from bucking up, but immediately regretted that choice as his wound screamed ‘stop’ all by itself.

“Fuck,” he grunted out and hissed from the sharp pain.

“Dean?” Cas pulled away immediately to look at his pain-stricken face, “Did I hurt you?”

“Nah, y-you felt amazing. Guess I’m not quite recovered,” he tried to assure Cas.

“I apologize, I’m moving too fast.” There was regret in his voice, which Dean immediately fixed it with:

“Stop it right there, Cas. If I had my way, I’d say you’re not moving fast enough,” he gave him a crooked grin and then said, “Soon. Sorry I’m a buzz kill.”

There was a pause before Castiel leaned in and placed one more lingering kiss on Dean’s lips. “To be continued, then. We both need our sleep.”

Dean just nodded.

They both shifted back to where they had been laying before and scooted around to find that perfect way their bodies fit together. It didn't take much, they settled and melted together and it was all kinds of comforting and amazing. Dean never wanted to move from this spot.

“Hey, Cas?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad you’re home.”


	9. Prioritization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"May I grab our fearless leader for a little chat?” Gabriel didn’t waste anytime beckoning his brother out of the room, “In private, obviously.”_
> 
> _Castiel frowned even deeper, looking to the retreating back of Gabriel. He was expecting Gabe to pull him away from prying eyes, not all the way back towards his room and a last minute detour to one of the many demon-sealed hiding places. This was where Castiel hesitated before following the rest of the way, “Where are you taking me, Gabriel?”_
> 
> _“To meet a very special guest of honor, of course,” He smirked and pulled open the door with a grand gesture._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/30/15

_Castiel tried to keep his head down and his pace swift as he moved through the desolate building and away from the shouting public. It was startling... how_ easy _and normative it was now to step over the dead bodies littering the streets, and the only thing that bothered him was how his eyes watered from the smoke. Interesting, how the amount of smoke was more irritating than the shallow knife wounds that littered the surface of his skin, too. That was a pain he'd learned to turn off - a pain he'd learned to ignore. But agitation grew under his skin and was a different breed of animal._

_The mission had gone wrong._

_He couldn’t return back now, not without regrouping and trying to fix the mistake he made._

_Castiel was much too caught up in his head, and nearly tripped over a pile of rocks that had fallen from a demolished building._

_But he was close._

_He ducked through an alley, waited for a group of guards to pass then grabbed the rung of a rusty fire escape. He hoisted himself between jagged pieces of metal which had broken off from decay, and finally climbed the three stories it took to reach his destination._

_The window was partially shattered, so he could readily snake his arm inside to open the lock._

_As he climbed over the broken glass, he avoided breaking the line of salt spread out in front of the window and looked up to meet the barrel of a gun._

_“You don’t need rock salt to kill me just yet,” Castiel groused and shoved the weapon out of his face._

_“My, my, Cassie. You sure are grumpy today,” the sarcasm blended in flawlessly with the British accent._

_“As a matter of fact, I am.” He drew the blinds closed and immediately began pulling off his coat and his shirt._

_“Oo,” Balthazar waggled his eyebrows, “Grumpy_ and _frisky. I have to say, that’s_ quite _a turn on.”_

_Castiel rolled his eyes and continued peeling off the layers, “If you’re done with the commentary, could you please bring me some disinfectant, and sutures?” He hissed when the shirt tugged against a patch of blood, which was halfway between clotted and dried. It had begun drying and clinging to the fabric and, when the top had come off, ripped the scab from the flesh, fresh liquid beading, then dripping from the surface anew._

_“Right away, darling,” he disappeared into the bathroom and rummaged around._

_The cuts were numerous, but none of them were too deep. Only two would require stitches. Cas collapsed into a chair and began examining the gashes._

_Make that three wounds..._

_“I’m playing doctor today, no arguing,” Balthazar immediately sat next to him and began wiping the blood away with antiseptic._

_“So what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?” He tried for nonchalant conversation._

_Castiel barely flinched as the needle pierced his skin on the first round of stitches._

_“Recon turned into a situation.”_

_“Your investigation skills are shit, I have to admit. This is far from the casual recon you usually encounter. Who did you piss off this time?” He was focused on patching him up but he could chat through anything.  Call it a talent._

_“Thought we’d be able to get through a restricted area like before. New guards were posted. It didn’t go according to plan.”_

_“Are you going to elaborate?” He raised an eyebrow, tying off a row of stitches._

_The quiet that followed was enough of a tell that Balthazar should stop while he was ahead._

_So he moved on to taking care of the next wound._

_All three were finished up. Then they sat in silence._

_“... The Righteous Man has appeared.”_

_“_ Excuse _me?” Balthazar asked and leaned forward, “Did you happen to suffer a bloody head wound, because I thought I heard some lunacy.”_

 _“I wouldn’t give hope if it wasn’t there. You’re one of the_ only _people I confided in - one of the only ones who actually knew about the prophesy... before you refused to come with us to the Underground. It’s_ happening _.” Castiel’s voice was much too serious and_ dire _to argue with._

_“Isn’t that good news? What has you so down?”_

_Castiel exhaled a shaky breath, “Will you come back with me?”_

_His eyes softened, “You know I can’t do that. Who would provide Intel about all the exciting happenings up here?”_

_“You’re my best friend,” Castiel finally looked up, “I have a feeling it’s not going to get better before it gets worse. I need to make sure you’re safe, and the only way I can know that is if you come back with me.”_

_“I’ll be all right, Cassie. I’ve lasted this long, haven’t I?” He grinned and quickly changed the subject, “Let me get you some fresh bandages.”_

\-------------

Castiel would have jerked awake from the dream if he hadn’t had a heavy, warm weight on his chest. What had happened above ground... was _haunting_ him, and he would have to relay the story to the others now that he was awake. But he would let himself relax here a little bit longer...

He must have jerked harder than he’d thought when he snapped out of his slumber, because he could feel butterfly-like kisses across his chest as Dean blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes.

“Mm, heya, Cas,” he grumbled and nuzzled closer.

“Hello, Dean.”

The lack of physical and verbal response was what made Dean pause, “You all right, man?”

The question soon pulled Cas out of his head and he quickly shook himself out of it, tilting his chin down to meet Dean’s lips. He didn’t respond out loud, but hoped the soft touch of their lips was enough of an answer for him. This distraction - he needed it. He’d been able to fall into it so easily last night when he tumbled back into their flawless chemistry (and, surprisingly, into Dean's open arms) but now he had to figure a course of action for the grave happenings pertaining to above ground. He needed to let the reality of the situation to the forefront of his mind, before he reported back to his comrades.

But maybe, just _maybe_ he could put it off a little longer.

Cas discarded his status as a pillow (he had better plans) and quickly moved over top of Dean, being mindful of his injury this time. He nipped at his neck in a way that was still innocent, but just enough to tease _._

“How are you this morning,” Dean could feel the vibrations close to his throat as the man inquired to him.

“Much better now. I wouldn’t be mad if I could wake up every morning like this,” Dean mused, but quickly caught himself, and felt a faint embarrassment. Ugh. “Well, damn, how was that for cheesy? I promise I’m not usually needy. The last few days have been fucking rough. It's, uh, the pain meds and shit? Please tell me you'll buy that.”

"I could, but I choose not to," Castiel's hand ghosted over top the bandages without quite touching them, “I’d imagine - if we’re being cheesy, may I say I plan on taking care of you from now on, and not letting anything like this happen again?”

“Hah, I’m a big boy,” Dean directed his head until their foreheads were pressed together, “But I won’t be mad at you for saying it.”

“Good,” Dean caught a glimpse of Castiel’s crooked grin, “Because that’s something you won’t be able to stop me from doing.”

His grin was contagious, “Shit, Cas, you’re gonna spoil me too damn soon.”

“I hope to spoil _other_ people for you, yes, I can admit that.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

Castiel didn’t have to be asked twice. He leaned down and sighed contentedly when their mouths came together. It took all his willpower to remain just far enough away that he didn’t hurt the man when their kisses became a little more heated.

Even though he wished with every fiber of his being they could keep going.

There was something about Dean, some kind of connection he’d never found with anyone before that hooked him right from the start.

And even though Dean didn’t know it, “before” was _quite_ a span of time. Since the beginning of everything, actually. He wanted Dean to believe in the truth, believe in the fall, but he was worried he’d call Castiel a liar. He’d think the words 'bullshit', and Castiel couldn’t deal with that right now.  He couldn't be cut off from this.

He would keep himself from wanting Dean’s hands tangled in his hair while he playfully licked the inside of his mouth. He’d keep craving the breathless moans escaping his throat while Castiel raked his fingers along the outside of his thigh. He desired more, _so much more._

Dean arched his hips completely ignoring the pain and ground up into Castiel. The touch was just enough to break through the flood gates and Cas grappled for the edge of Dean’s boxers to rip them off his body. He wanted to feel every inch of his skin he couldn't fucking wait anymore-

“Dean, I made breakfast and wondered if you were up- _Jesusfuckingchristonastick_!” Charlie peeked in just enough to catch _more_ than she should’ve seen and slammed the door.

But she had seen Cas flash her a pissed off glare at her, for her using 'his Father's son's name in vain,' (like he always did) as though he wasn't just the one who was nowscarred for life or something?! Stupid angels!  
  
Cas hopped off Dean in record time and tried to calm his breaths.

“Oh heeeey, Castiel, welcome back?” Her awkward tone was muffled by the door but they knew all three were sporting different colors of pink on their cheeks.

“Thank you, Charlie, we’ll get around now and head over shortly.” He kept his voice surprisingly even, considering the fact that Dean had followed him when he sat up, and continued mouthing at his neck. Apparently, this had done next to nothing to kill his mood.

“Okay! I’ll let the others know that you’re back! Um, take your time, I guess?”

“Save me that breakfast!” Dean yelled out, and almost didn’t hear her mumble back something about ‘ _having a different kind of breakfast, sicko_ ’ before Cas huffed and stood up, thoroughly embarrassed. It was adorable.

“Ya know,” Dean began, and reached out to swat the other man’s butt, “I wouldn’t be opposed to ‘a different kind of breakfast,’ just saying.”

Castiel snorted out a dry chuckle but began to gather his clothes, “Maybe soon. I should have called a meeting once I arrived back but a got a little-” and fuck, did the _smoldering_ look on his face, as he bit his lip, do things to Dean, “ _Distracted_.”

He couldn’t help raise an eyebrow and mutter, “Wish you’d let me distract you more, this time I could use my mou-”

“After the job’s done, and perhaps when you’re healed we’ll reach a whole new level of distractions,” Cas swooped in to place one more heated kiss on Dean’s lips, “But for now, we have something to do. I’ll attempt to keep Asshole-Leader-Castiel to a minimum today.”

“Hah, hah, hah."

“Let us get dressed and go to the others.”

\--------

Dean knew this was a serious matter of ‘Cas getting this over with’ when his good mood vanished into thin air. After getting uniformed-up, the pace he set was quick and Dean had to straight-up _jog_ to keep up with him. No doubt Charlie had already gathered the troops, who were eagerly waiting for the news and story of Cas' prolonged absence. After all, there had been worry starting to bloom and everyone had let out a collective sigh of relief once the news had circulated that their leader was back.

They walked into the building and immediately into the lounge to see the faces of the entire crew covered in anticipation.

Except for Charlie. She looked a little sheepish but that didn’t stop her from throwing a wink at Dean. The saucy bitch.

He rolled his eyes, but took a seat next to her on the couch, muttering, “not a fucking word,” as Castiel marched to the front of the group.

He had everyone’s rapt attention, he filled a room like no other and it was in moments like this that Dean could _feel_ his strength. It was all kinds of scary and sexy.

“As you can see,” he began, all business, once again, “Kevin is not here.”

You could hear a pin drop in the crowded space.

Cas took a deep breath. “There were... complications. I suppose I should start at the beginning. We were investigating the water problem and, as it were, discovered the Trilogy was siphoning it to their _own_ reservoirs, no doubt preparing for the worst. The river is still free-flowing and just as bountiful at ever, but it's shallow on our end because of their storage. After we found out, we were on our way to the safe house above ground to form a plan of attack. Along the route something... happened.”

No one dove in to rush him, they were all too worried and remained stone silent.

“He began having seizures, and I could only shield him and hide him for so long on the road before it drew the attention of the officers patrolling. But it was something I’ve seen before, something we haven’t bore witness to in a long time.” He clenched his fists and momentarily exchanged a glance with Meg. “He had manifested as a _prophet_. I couldn’t move him, I couldn’t protect him once the officers arrived. I fought, but after taking out nearly half the demons, one got the jump on me and knocked me unconscious. I thought I was done for, until I came to and realized escorting Kevin to the Capitol must have ranked higher on their priority list than finishing me off.”

“I needed to fix the water issue before I could even think of rescuing Kevin. I managed to go undetected, and sneaked into the plants they set up for the operation. I punctured the lining just enough for our supply to grow, however, they won’t notice a change for quite a while. When they do, they should only think it to have sprung a leak. We need to do the same before they fix it, load up all our reservoirs, get the crops going and hopefully it will be enough. Jo, Garth and Anna, I need you to get on that _immediately -_ there's no time to waste.” He paused another moment before taking a deep breath, “I was planning to rescue Kevin, but when I arrived to the safe house, I was more badly injured than I initially thought. Our contact talked me out of it. I wouldn’t have been strong enough without reinforcements to stage the mission. I believed it was in Kevin’s best interest to be saved by someone in healthy condition, as well as a back-up team, who could _actually_ accomplish it.” He growled out as an after thought, "I would have been dead in the water. I had to stay at our contact's over two weeks to heal enough to even make the journey back."

“You did the right thing, Cas.” Jo was the first one to speak up and offered a sincere smile. “It wouldn’t have even been possible to get into the Capitol alone. And now that we have the go-ahead for the water, there’s _something_ we can do. Something very important. You did exactly what you set out to do.”

“Thank you, Jo.”

“I don’t understand, though,” Garth cleared his throat awkwardly and couldn’t quite manage eye contact with Cas and his intensity to ask his question so his eyes were looking anywhere else. “Kevin was a flipping prophet? Why didn’t we know this before now? Why didn’t he manifest sooner?”

“I can speculate, but cannot say for sure,” Anna addressed the question, giving Castiel a break. “It may have been because of... the  _news_ we’ve received, as of late. Or possibly his proximity due to the power of the Trilogy during the mission. Or perhaps maybe even the curse upon the prophets simply faded, because the spell was time sensitive. Regardless, they will keep Kevin alive in the desperate circumstance until we can formulate a plan, I have little doubt.” She stood up, “We should see to the water and begin the process now.”

Dean looked ridiculously confused, his eyes darting around the room, but didn’t even know _where_ to start asking his questions. Charlie noticed right away but put a finger to his lips to silence him. It wasn’t the time for a Winchester-sized outburst.

“Well, now that we’ve got round one of the shit storm taken care of, may I grab our fearless leader for a little chat?” Gabriel didn’t waste anytime beckoning his brother out of the room, “In private, obviously.”

Castiel frowned even deeper, looking to the retreating back of Gabriel. He noticed the stoic looks on Jo and Charlie’s face, in addition to the blatant concern written over Dean’s. He didn’t have much of an option and the choice of words his brother used concerned him even more.

He was expecting Gabriel to pull him away from prying eyes, not all the way back towards his room and a last-minute detour to one of the many demon-sealed hiding places. This was where Castiel hesitated before following the rest of the way, “Where are you taking me, Gabriel?”

“To meet a _very_ special guest of honor, of course,” he smirked and pulled open the door with a grand gesture.

On the other side... was not what Castiel expected.

He was greeted by the sight of a tall man ( _very_ tall man) with sweeping brown hair down to his jaw, who paid more attention to the words in a book than the opened door. He wasn't restrained by shackles, so he couldn't be a demon. He was simply... lounging. Reading. And decently oblivious.

“I’m glad you found this, Gabe, it’s been a long time since I-” the words died on his lips when he finally looked up and realized Gabriel wasn't alone on the other side of the door. “Oh, hi, it’s Castiel, right?”

“Hello. And what’s your name?” He said slowly, unsure of why Gabriel had taken such care to hide this man. Because how had Gabriel, of all people (who _refused_ to go above ground) even come in contact with and was currently housing a _new_ civilian. 

“Wait for it,” Gabe hopped over to the side of the mystery man and ran a hand through his shaggy hair, ruffling it along the way. “Meet the newly alive, newly improved Sam Winchester!”

Castiel’s mouth fell open, gaping at the man with disbelieving eyes. “I thought- I wasn’t aware that you were still alive. How is this _possible_?”

Sam bit his lip and looked to Gabriel for the go-ahead. “I was really, _really_ close. I think I was literally at death’s door when I heard a voice calling me back. At first it sounded like my brother, but then when I finally opened my eyes... it was a woman. And she said her name was Tessa. She, uh, took care of me until I was healthy enough and then brought me down here. She said you would want to see me. I don’t know why, I was hoping _you_ could tell me?”

His voice faltered for a second before nodding, “Yes, Sam, I’m very glad to see you’re all right. I believe I need to speak with Tessa first, if that’s all right?”

Though he frowned, he accepted.

“I’ll keep the kiddo company until then, Cas!” Gabe volunteered, “I’m actually in the process of making him fall in love with me, so there’s _that_ -"

“Gabriel!” Both exclaimed at the same time.

“What?” He was the picture of (completely fake) innocence.

“I’ll be right back, Sam, feel free to take matters into your own hands if he misbehaves,” Cas narrowed a glare to his brother. "A good slap can work wonders."

“Ha ha, Cassie, if you’re looking for Tessa, she’s back at your flat, waiting for _you_.” The shorter man snuggled up even closer to the uncomfortable looking newcomer. “Don’t say I never did anything for you!”

Castiel slipped out of the room. He nodded to his comrades before he left and then took off with a speed meant for combat. He rounded the corner and cut a sharp right down the hall and could almost _feel_ the energy coming from his own room. After all, Reapers always seemed to have that spine-chilling effect, no matter how kind they seemed.

He came to a halt as he saw her standing in the middle of his quarters, staring off into space.

“Tessa?” He questioned, taking one more hesitant step forward, “I spoke with Gabriel, how did this- how is this _possible_?”

“The demons weren’t the only ones to know of the prophesy.” She finally acknowledged him and took a step of her own. “Once there was no longer a place for us to take souls, I had to focus my attentions elsewhere. In an attempt to gain back what we've all lost.”

“And where was that?” Castiel asked with a frown.

“Isn’t it a bit obvious?” She quirked an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. “I’m aware you know, as you’ve told your team about it. What I don’t understand is why they don’t seem to know the _full picture_. You're not doing anyone any favors.”

“I-” he faltered, “I didn’t know how the full picture was going to come together. But now I understand and I’ll be able to fill them in.”

“You’ve been doing very well here, Castiel." She raised a hand to cup his face, “And now you know the reason I wouldn’t join you. I had the boys to look after, didn’t I?”

“And I thank you for that. Even though I thought your refusal was for other reasons, it all makes sense now,” he was having a hard time gathering his thoughts, it was all too much too quickly, no matter how good the news. “I’m glad to have you here, regardless of how long it took. You’re a good friend and I’m glad to know you’re safe.”

“Castiel, that isn’t the _only_ thing.” She bit her lip hesitantly and reached for the table Garth had been using for medical equipment. “Something had gone wrong while you were away, I could feel it. The energy, it's here, but it’s _tainted._  And I think I know what happened...”

\------------

Castiel was _seething_ as he turned the corner on Gabriel and Meg who were standing stark-still in the room at the headquarters's entrance, “I’m gone less than a month and you can’t even protect him for that long?!”

They both knew immediately - they were smart. Cas wouldn’t have been building up this much rage and swallowing it down during the meeting, no matter who was there to witness it. No, this was something recent.

This must have been about a message Tessa had relayed, and they could take a few guesses...

“In case you didn’t notice, Cassie, it was _because of us_ he’s alive. So there’s no reason for you to blow a damn gasket!” Gabriel never handled being snapped at very well, especially having been an archangels, thank you very much. “Your new toy is fine so don’t get all butt-hurt.”

“No, no,” Castiel was pacing endlessly, “It was done wrong, the ritual was _contaminated_.”

“Take a deep breath. What are you talking about?” Meg grabbed him by both shoulders to force him to stand still.

“Tessa told me. She could feel the energy, you gave him _your_ blood.” He hissed, leveling deadly glares between both his comrades but he focused the brunt of his explosion on Gabriel. “And now he’s tainted.”

“One,” Meg jammed a finger into his chest, her patience wearing thin, “He needed blood because he’d lost too much! He would have died! And two, you knew it was going to end up being the blood of an angel and a demon. We both know the fucking prophesy, and that was going to happen anyway.”

“It was supposed to be _mine,_ ” Castiel hissed out, but he was running out of steam. “It wasn’t supposed to happen so soon _, I_ was supposed to be here and it was supposed to be mine... we were the ones that had awoken the Righteous Man.”

“Well, shit happens. Don't take your anger out on us because you weren't fucking here,” Gabriel rolled his eyes, “But next time, I’ll be happy to let little freckles bleed out. We saved him, isn’t that a little more important?”

“Yes.” Cas was silent for a while, “While it’s good he’s alive, Tessa told me to correct this error will be very...painful.”

“Painful?” Meg raised an almost gleeful eyebrow, “Oo, do tell more.”

It looked physically uncomfortable for Castiel to speak.

“Oh, come on, lil bro, the suspense is killing us! Besides, pain is in the eye of the beholder.” Gabriel mused, patting Meg on the back.

“We have to-” Cas took a deep breath. “Remove tainted blood from his body.”

“Remove? Umm, _hello_ , no holy magic left? We can’t do a cleanse like that anymore, we can’t just do _that_ \- it’s coursing through his-” Gabriel cut off and blanched, “Fuck, does this mean what I think it does?”

“Which is why, I repeat, this never should have happened in the first place. I don't want to put Dean through any of this-”

“But you will _._ ” Meg cut him off, “We need to do this. And you know we can. Just- give him some time, I guess. And make sure he’s ready.”

“It’s all we can do.”

“Well, let me know when you plan on bleeding pretty-boy out and I’ll have two shots of espresso in my coffee that morning,“ Meg took that as her cue to leave and promptly did just that. As Gabriel attempted to, Cas grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.

“There’s more, you know. More that Meg already knows that you need to, as well.”

“Can’t say I like the sound of that.” Gabriel frowned.

“It’s about Sam Winchester.”

“Dammit, now _my_ cutie has to get involved in this, too? I was hoping he was just civilian eye candy for me to lick,” the pout he wore on his face was just a front, because genuine unrest laid right under that expression. “Okay, lay it on me. Pull off the band-aide. Just don’t fucking skimp out on any details this time, all right?”

“I won’t, but you must promise to keep it to yourself until we figure out a course of action.”

\-------

Gabriel sat in awe for what seemed like hours although it was just a few minutes. “Well, shit. Looks like you have a lot of confessions to make to the public and slash or Dean, so which ones are you going to tackle first?” He wasn’t teasing him, he was truly curious, and more than a little worried.

Castiel collapsed down to a chair and massaged his temples where a headache was slowly but surely forming. “I have no idea. I’m honestly at a lost.”

“Well, that’s what you got big brother here for, right?” Gabe clapped him on the back. “Let’s prioritize.”

Cas nodded for him to continue, keeping his hands over his head while slouching even more.

“Mmk, numero uno, we have the big ‘Sam is back’ bomb, and since you’re infatuated with his bro, I’m thinking you don’t want Dean to know about him later in the game unless you want to be on his shit-list, right?”

The younger man nodded and mumbled, “Yes, he must know immediately.”

“So, numero dos is a tie between the bleeding-Dean-out to fix our little problem, which will take time for Charlie and I to figure out how to keep him alive during the process, and the little part of the prophesy you left out, right?” Gabriel was taking to organization by counting out the steps on his fingers. Castiel was grateful he was simplifying, God, was he grateful.

“Yes, but in order for that to happen, Dean must know everything. And I don’t think he’s strong enough yet.”

“Hey, he’s stronger than you give him credit for. I know your alpha-leader instincts are telling you he needs to be protected or some bullshit, but now that Sam’s back he’s got all the support he needs. Even if he feels a little betrayed by you, he’s got his own brother to figure stuff out with. And let me tell you - Sam has a damn good head on his shoulders. He's dealing with the whole story in stride.”

“What!?” Cas finally looked up at him, confusion clearly written all over his face.

“You _know_ I can’t lie to a stunning piece of human art,” Gabriel shrugged, “I tested the water with the demons, fallen angels crap because I knew it was going to come around anyway. And he _believed_. Even got excited a little bit, which _totally_ works in my favor, if you know what I’m saying. Moral of the story, we need to tell Dean soon. Because that brother-trust thing will made Sam cave before long, and you know Deano is gonna be _pissed_ for being one step behind the game. He's all fussy like that.”

“Although I’m glad there’s one less person to break the news to,” Castiel gritted his teeth, “I do _not_ appreciate the fact you made the choice to tell him _yourself_.”

Gabriel shot him an intense glare, the kind that used to send all other angels crashing to their knees. “Yeah. I get it, you’re the leader around here. But do I have to remind you it’s only because _I_ stepped aside and _let_ _you_ do it? You like it, you’re good at it, but I used to be much more powerful than you, so you better slow your fucking roll. I’m not a very trusting guy, but something was _right_ about Sam, and I used my own discretion. Get off your goddamn high horse and figure out your shit before you start giving _me_ any.”

Left speechless, Castiel had to close his gaping mouth and take another breath. He didn’t need to be reminded but sometimes he got carried away.

“You’re right. I apologize. And admittedly, it will be good for Dean to have someone he trusts confirming the truth even though he’s not a believer.”

“Good, glad you got your head out of your ass,” Gabriel lifted another finger, “Four-”

“What was three?” Castiel looked confused.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Gabriel rolled his eyes. “The whole 'letting Dean down gently with the truth so he doesn’t go on a rampage' thing, of course. But let’s lay that to rest for a hot sec before I get salty all over again.”

“Yes. Apologies. Four, then?”

With a heavy sigh, Gabe muttered, “Little Kev. Although I have to say, if he’s at Trilogy HQ we’re all kinda fucked on that.”

“I concur.” A heavy note of sorrow weighted down his voice and he looked as if he had something more to say before he was cut off.

“Shit like this happens, don’t beat yourself up about it. At least we know he’s not dead, right, if his powers manifested? He’s too valuable to the evil gang now. They won’t kill him, they need him.” Gabriel’s statement was so sure, which made Castiel feel just a bit better.

“All right,” he took in a deep breath. So we know what has to be done first, then we’ll take care of the rest of it.”

“Hell yes. Let’s get ready for an epic reunion!” The mischievous smirk returned, “I, for one, think we should host it at the Roadhouse Version 2.0 and let the celebration drinks flow!”

A small smile crept on Castiel’s face, “At least I know Dean with have some momentary happiness, for once. He deserves it.”

“Oh, hey there, sappy Cas. Let’s get this show on the road!”


	10. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Dean nudged Cas in the side and clucked his tongue, “Didn’t know you had it in you.”_
> 
> _“You watched me drink the alcohol, of course it’s in me.” Cas muttered, sarcasm lost on the man again._
> 
> _Dean slapped his hand not wrapped around the beer on Cas’ shoulder, “Never change.”_
> 
> _“God, can you two stop being sickeningly sweet?” Charlie groaned out, and started to make moves to the lounge where she needed to sit down and drown her sorrow._
> 
> _“Sorry you’re jealous, babe,” Dean winked and followed her lead, but noticed as Cas hung back, still eyeing the liquor bottle. “Hey, we can do another round after these beers, all right?”_
> 
> _“Yes, Dean, I apologize.” He walked besides the other man, but now Dean was nervous._
> 
> _“Hey, is it really about the mission that you’re looking to black out before noon?” His voice was hushed, not knowing if this was something he wanted Charlie to hear or not._
> 
> _Cas shrugged his shoulders, “You’ll know soon enough.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/31/15

Castiel was a mess of anticipation, nerves, and a strange type of happiness as he returned to the officer’s headquarters. He’d instructed Gabriel to finish filling Sam in on anything he had left out and agreed it’d be best to have the reunion at the bar, after a good half-hours time for him to get his shit together.

He had to slap on his game face immediately, as he noticed Dean was leaned against the entrance looking casually zoned-out.

Dean caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and strolled over to Cas, grabbing his hand once he was close enough with a, “Hey.”

“Hello, Dean.”

He tugged and brought them just a little closer to each other, “So, that was some heavy shit, dude, are you all right?”

Cas smiled softly, the warmth of Dean’s grip centering him, “I think I’d like a drink, if that’s all right with you. I’d be a little bit better then.”

Dean let out a straight-up belly laugh and pulled Cas back to the building, “Well damn, isn’t it a little early? Not that I’m gonna complain or anything.”

He allowed himself to be led and smirked, “I believe the saying is, ‘it’s five o’clock somewhere _,_ ’ correct?”

“Hah, maybe at one time it was. But wherever five is now, it’s been blown to oblivion. But we can ignore that little detail. If the man wants a drink, he gets a drink!”

They walked until they were back outside the door to the Roadhouse and Dean dropped his grip, unsure of whether or not Cas wanted other people to know about their little...connection. Better safe than sorry, he supposed.

The door was cracked open and they could hear shuffling behind it. When Dean pushed it open, it was to Charlie sipping a beer with a strange expression on her face.

Cas recognized it right away: she was extremely close with Kevin, and this was the way she tended to nurse her wounds. But she hadn't exactly been expecting company.

She plastered on a fake smile when she saw the two approaching, and looked around the room, “Oh, hey, sorry about this morning. Not gonna lie, I’m not usually that much of a cock-block, sometimes it just happens. My bad.”

“Jesus, Charlie!” Dean blushed a bit, but knew the woman was only going to tease him to his face and not gossip behind his back - so he was grateful for _that_.

“Don’t worry yourself.” Cas gestured to one of the barrels, “Would you like to make it up to us by pouring us a drink?”

She raised an eyebrow, but nodded and quickly grabbed some cups, “Anything for the lovebirds.”

“Are you ever gonna stop this?” Dean wasn’t sure how much embarrassment he was going to be able to handle today.

“And possibly a shot, as well?” Cas added, and this request had both of them wide-eyed.

“Well shit, go big or go home, I guess? A man after my own heart,” Dean winked and gave him a pat on the back. “Make it two, Char.”

“Fuck it, we’ll have three,” she put three glasses down on the table after filling the beers to the top and setting them aside for now. She took out a glass bottle and smirked, “Hope everyone’s all right with some Underground-style vodka. The breakfast of champions.”

They each raised the glasses and had a silent cheers and drank them down, before Charlie immediately dumped another round in.

“Woah, woah,” Dean raised an eyebrow, “Is this a good idea?”

“What can I say, we’re all heavy weights. Is this too much? I’m sure Castiel will take yours too, he’s the reigning shot champion and all.” The girl gestured to the liquor.

“Fuck that, I got this!” Dean lifted his own, and after that round they grabbed their beers.

Dean nudged Cas in the side and clucked his tongue, “Didn’t know you had it in you.”

“You watched me drink the alcohol, of course it’s in me.” Cas muttered, sarcasm lost on the man again.

Dean slapped his hand not wrapped around the beer on Cas’ shoulder, “Never change.”

“God, can you two stop being sickeningly sweet?” She groaned out, and started to make moves to the lounge where she needed to sit down and continue to drown her sorrow.

“Sorry you’re jealous, babe,” Dean winked and followed her lead, but noticed as Cas hung back, still eyeing the liquor bottle. “Hey, we can do another round after these beers, all right?”

“Yes, Dean, I apologize.” He walked besides the other man, but now Dean was nervous.

“Hey, is it really about the mission that you’re looking to black out before friggin _noon_?” His voice was hushed, not knowing if this was something he wanted Charlie to hear or not.

Cas shrugged his shoulders, “You’ll know soon enough.”

“Cryptic, much?” He frowned at the man’s unreadable expression and chugged some of his beer, “Are you returning back to Asshole-Leader-Cas?”

“No, that was not my intention,” he defended a little too quickly, “I mean it when I say you’ll know, and it’s actually something you’ll be happy about. I’m just extremely exhausted because of the last few weeks and must admit I didn’t sleep very well. You all seem to rely on alcohol to relax, so I’m doing the same.”

“Hey, good for you. And I can get down with that.”

Dean noticed that the couch was empty and Charlie was gesturing to it for the two men to sit down in - an obvious sign of approval on her part. She was strangely silent, nursing her beer in the chair across from them.

“Well, it’s good news about the water, right, Cas?” Dean tried to lighten the mood, seeing as how someone had to, while the others were brewing storm clouds. He didn’t want the inevitable downpour right now.

This earned him a smile from the leader, “Yes, I’m happy that's been solved for now, and we can take the measures to secure the Underground for a while longer. I’m looking forward to the new crops.”

“You did a good job with that,” Charlie wasn’t going to mention the Kevin situation at all, trying the ignorance is bliss approach.

“Dun duh duh dun!” Gabriel’s voice echoed through the halls outside and then hopped into the room, “Dean-o, you better love me. I’ve gotcha an early birthday present!”

“The hell?” Dean raised an eyebrow, “I have a feeling I’m not gonna like this.”

“On the contrary, I believe you’re gonna _love_ it.” He turned around, “Get in here, guest of honor!”

“Flair for the dramatics,” Charlie whispered under her breath.

The room went silent, as the foot steps clicked in the hallway. Then, Dean was _speechless_.

Sam gave a small wave and the smile on his face exploded when he caught sight of his brother.

“Holy fucking shit,” was all Dean could manage before he flew to his feet and charged full speed ahead to wrap his arms around him.

The taller man grunted as the wind was knocked out of him but heartily returned the hug.

The embrace lingered, Dean afraid if he let go his brother was going to disappear into thin air. He leaned away, just enough for Sam to see the tears in his eyes, and felt the warm tell-tale signs that his brother wasn’t the only was crying.

“Oh my God, Sam, how- what happened, I was _sure_ you were-” he stumbled over his words and couldn’t find the right things to say. “Fuck, it’s so good to see you.”

They both pulled away and let out sighs of relief.

“See, told you ya’d like it,” Gabriel wore a smug face.

Charlie’s hands were over her mouth, her eyes wide, before she jumped up. “If this isn’t a reason for another round of shots, I don’t know what is! Get in here, boys, we’re gonna toast!”

Castiel followed Charlie, but couldn’t take his eyes off the two. The joy was contagious. Finally, something _good_ was happening.

\-----------

“... and so once I was about recovered, Tessa told me she had a place that was safe. I didn’t believe her, but figured I didn’t have much to lose, ya know?” Sam was feeling pleasantly buzzed as he relayed the story to the group who had his full attention. “And let me tell you, that damn route to get down here? _Nuts_ , I thought I was gonna die all over again, like, six times _._ ”

“I know, right?!” Dean exclaimed, the smile hadn’t dimmed from his face once. “Tessa must be a fuckin’ champ. I know Cas had to carry my ass half the way, and with you being a hell of a moose, that girl must pack a punch!”

“I missed Tessa,” Charlie mused, “I hope she’s staying around this time.”

“I believe that was her intention when I spoke with her,” Castiel was six drinks in, but didn’t look anything more than warm.

Dean admired his tolerance. Or super-humanness. Or whatever the hell it was.

“You’ve been here for over a day?” He directed his question to Sam, “I should’ve seen you sooner.”

“Well, in _everyone’s_ defense, it was my executive choice to give him the good ol' fashion debriefing before being hurtled into it.” Gabriel scoffed, and Cas knew it was for his benefit to convince Dean of this.

“Yeah, but I’m glad he did,” Sam took a deep breath, “It was a lot to take in, and Gabe did a good job making sure I was caught up, I had so many questions I needed to get out of the way. Castiel told us to get over here as soon as he knew I was alive.”

Dean shot what should have been a private smile to Cas, but he didn’t give a shit if the whole world saw it. He was happy. He was so fucking happy.

“So, what'd ya think of the layout? Pretty wild, huh? It’s crazy to believe we’re safe - but for the first time - I really _feel_ like it.” Dean wanted to reach out and show Cas how grateful he was through touch, but knew he’d have a lot of time later to show his appreciation. “You know, besides the crazy kamikaze demon bitch.”

“Demons came down here?” Sam frowned.

And then Dean froze.

Fuck, Sam and Ruby _knew_ each other. He wasn’t ready to open that can of worms, but he had no idea what to do. If there was a time he needed Meg, _this_ was it. She was the only one who he’d told the full story too, but had zero leads on how to handle it.

“Dean?”

There were three sets of eyes on him and he swallowed deeply.

“Yeah, but she’s been dealt with. Locked up good and tight, for now... before we figure out what we need to do.”

“She hurt you, Dean. Now that I’ve been informed of the situation, we’ll handle it,” Cas said evenly, leaving no room for questions.

Unfortunately, Dean never really respected anyone, even Cas.

“There’s more shit I need to ask her, more things we need to know,” he urged. “We can’t gank her yet.”

Charlie raised an eyebrow, “Why? Ruby’s a hellspawn bitch, there’s no reason to-”

“Ruby?!” Sam’s eyes were wide with alarm.

Fuck. Shit was officially hitting the fan again. Might as well explain everything.

“Okay, Sam, before you get bent out of shape, and before you go on a search and rescue mission, ya gotta know things,” Dean noticed the questioning stares of Cas and Charlie. “Charlie’s right, she’s a hellspawn black eyed bitch. Apparently, she duped you into thinking she was a human, hell, even a friend. She _knew_ they were gonna kill us, and she made a deal to let you live, but didn’t give a shit about mom, dad or me. Only...the assassin fucked up and thought you were me, and Ruby was livid. Came down here to finish the job out of revenge. Obviously, I get it, maybe in her twisted mind she did give a shit about you, but nothing or no one important to you. She tricked you, and probably just wanted you for her own little plaything.”

Sam was ghostly white. He opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out.

This was definitely news to the other two, who looked between him and Sam with wide-eyes.

Finally, after Sam finally got a grasp on the situation, he muttered quietly, “No... it _can’t_ be true. She was- she acted so human. She was so _kind_ , I can’t believe that she’d do that-”

“Wanna see the fucking gash in my side, Sam? Wanna question what the others found out? Demons _lie_. Demons trick you. You’re not the first one and you won’t be the last, and I’m sorry. She was probably damn good at it, too, but these are black and white facts.” Dean left no room for arguments.

Sam looked like a lost puppy and while Dean had missed that face, he hated seeing it in regards to, and with sympathy for fucking Ruby.

“Can I se-” Sam stopped abruptly, and changed it to, “Can we do another shot?”

“I accept this coping mechanism.” Charlie was more than down for the distraction, “Drowning sorrows, here we come!”

\-------------

At random points during the reunion, Garth had made an entrance, Jo had found out and instantly grabbed her mom and Bobby to see another miracle in the Underground.

Dean was almost positive Anna and Meg were taking advantage of their alone time and getting into wild sexual escapades at headquarters.

Yes, this had seriously distracted Sam from any thoughts of Ruby.

For now.

Dean had no illusions this was going to be brought up again, and knew he’d have to stop them from putting her out of her misery. Sammy needed closure, and maybe even to do it _himself_. It was the least he could give him in regards to his near-death experience. Since it had been at the fault (no matter how accidental) of that bitch.

There was laughter, reminiscing, and a much-needed joyful celebration.

Everyone was most definitely three sheets to the wind.

Jo had knocked over a chair in an overly dramatic victory dance over a game of cards, Bobby was hiccuping, and, per usual, Garth had stumbled back into his room. This time, at least, he had managed to gulp down three beers, instead of the usual single one. He was moving up in the world.

Cas was actually starting to stumble in his steps and Dean found it adorable. When he was going to get a refill, he couldn’t help but follow close behind.

Castiel was leaning on the table while filling up his drink when Dean sneaked in behind him to wrap his arms around the man’s middle. He practically nuzzled into the junction of his neck and shoulder while Cas let out a contented sigh.

“I take it you enjoy cuddling when you’re intoxicated?” Cas laughed out and set his now-full beer down on the counter top.

They both stayed like that for a while, drinking in each other’s warmth.

“Shh, that’s a secret, don’t tell anyone.” Dean pressed a light kiss to the column of Castiel’s neck, “I knew something was up when you were drinking shots like water, but I didn’t know it was going to be something this awesome. Thanks for bringing him around as soon as you found out.”

“I just want you to be happy,” he stuttered out, a chill running up his spine from Dean’s breath. “I didn’t want to keep you from that joy - this is the happiest I’ve ever seen you, and I’m thankful.”

“You know,” Dean released his arms to turn Cas around, “ _You_ make me pretty damn happy, too. With you and Sam both here, I’m better than I’ve been for as long as I can remember."

The admission made Cas blush a little, “I- think that’s ‘awesome’ as well,” the word felt strange on his tongue but made Dean's smile even bigger, so it was worth it.

“I think I’m gonna stick with water for a little while,” Dean couldn’t keep his hands to himself and gripped the other’s hipbones, “Maybe you won’t have to take advantage of me tonight while I‘m ‘intoxicated,' as you like to say. I’d get sober just for _that_.”

“Dean!” Castiel admonished, and frowned, “Don’t say it like that. Do you honestly feel taken advantage of when you’re with me?”

“Chill, Cas, chill,” Dean laughed and tugged him a little closer, “I think you missed the whole part of me wanting to be with you. I don’t care if it’s sober or not, I thought you’d feel more comfortable that way.”

“Oh.” Cas looked a little embarrassed, but before he could say anything else, Dean silenced him with a kiss.

Both men melted into each other, and Dean realized a drunk Cas was a hands-y Cas, as his ass was grabbed and their hips pulled flush.

Dean moaned into the touch as the kisses became more heated and it turned into a full blown make-out session. Cas never released Dean, so his hands threaded through the dark locks and tugged.

Apparently, Cas had a hair-pulling fetish too, because he made the sexiest noise Dean had ever heard deep into his throat, and started rutting against him frantically.

Dean knew Cas was going to be the end of him.

Not death by demons, drowning in a river, but a heart attack from the fucking _delicious_ noises the man was making.

“Mm, Cas, I thought you weren’t going to take advantage of me,” Dean teased as Cas’ mouth worked it’s way to sucking what were probably going to be bruises on his neck. But he wanted it - he wanted to wear Cas' marks proudly because he wanted to belong to him. And that desire was growing by the second, Dean felt like he was going to burst.

With a nip to Dean’s earlobe, Cas replied, “ _Technically_ , we’re taking advantage of each other.”

“Touche, I can’t be mad at that,” Dean captured Cas’ lips in a straight-up feral way and nipped at his bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth.

“Another fill-up gu- WOAH! Can you _please_ stop setting me up for trauma?! I’m gonna have PTSD!” Charlie shouted from the door and quickly retreated.

Dean broke the kiss with a hearty belly laugh he couldn’t hold in.

Cas titled his head, “I don’t exactly understand why you find this so amusing.”

“I think she’s doing this on purpose, no one has that bad of luck,” Dean’s laugh turned into a drunken giggle, “Serves her right.”

“Maybe it will give her the confidence to finally talk to Jo, so she doesn’t feel so left out.”

“Was that a joke, Cas?”

He grinned impishly, “I’m told the ’stick-up-my-ass’ comes out when I’ve been consuming alcohol.”

“But your fuckin' dictionary of a vocabulary stays put.” Dean pressed a quick kiss to his forehead, “It’s all good, I like it.”

“I like you.” Cas said easily.

“Fuck, you’re cute when you’re drunk,” Dean released him and gestured to the bar, “So, I know I said I was going to be drinking water, but how about one more shot? I think we need that distraction to kill our boners before we head back out.”

“I concur.”

\------------

“You guys done with your quickie?” Charlie grumbled from the couch, arms crossed when the two made their way back out. “Gross. Just... Gross.”

“Hah, what’s this, I hear?” Ellen grinned at the two of them who were walking _just_ close enough to give them away.

“Oh yeah, mom, I forgot,” Jo looked over the hand of cards she was holding, “Dean and Cas, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-”

“God, Jo, you haven’t grown up since I first met you, huh?”

Sam laughed out loud and gave both of them a look from head to toe, “Guess you’ve been pretty happy here, _huh_ , Dean?”

“Shut up, Sasquatch!”

Sam looked thoroughly pleased with himself, but when he directed his attention back to his hand of cards, Dean recognized a _different_ look on his face. No one else was able to see it, but this was his brother and they couldn’t hide anything from each other.

It was a look of almost- longing?

Fuck.

It hit Dean _hard_.

Maybe Sam and Ruby weren’t just _friends_  after all... and this was going to undoubtedly lead to his little brother’s heartbreak.

And he hated it.

Once again, he didn’t want to think of it, so he grabbed Cas and sat them in the empty chairs around the table, “Deal us in!”  
  
\---------

Gabriel had long since left the party, putting around aimlessly, caught up in his own head.

As much fun as the pseudo-celebration was, it was just postponing the inevitable. He needed to gather his thoughts, form a plan of action. He had always been one step ahead of everyone, whether it was as the Trickster or an Archangel, and he hated how _behind_ he was at this time.

Soon, he found himself at HQ, as far away from the reunion as he could get, and sauntered into the room.

“Oo, _just_ the ladies I wanted to see,” he grinned when his eyes landed on Meg and Tessa. “Never thought I’d seek intelligent conversation with you, Meg. Tessa, on the other hand, I can count on.”

Both women looked unimpressed, having to halt their conversation at the man’s appearance.

“Oh, don’t stop on my account. I just needed a little break from the frat party going on in the other building. Probably nothing I haven’t heard before.” He leaned against the wall and motioned for them to continue.

Meg bit her lip and then shrugged, “Just exchanging stories about the end and prevention, as always.”

“Yeah, figured that. I wish Cassie would stop playing house and get Deano with the program, already. We’ve got people to see, things to do.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Meg leveled a glare.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look for you, Meggy.” Gabriel couldn’t help the taunting, it was in his nature, after all.

“Hah, hah. _Lazy_ isn’t a good look on you. _You_ need to start making preparations with little Sammy. At least that’s one thing we can start work on now,” she snipped out in frustration, “Even if I hate one third of the problem.”

“Yeah, kind of a little bump in the road, huh? But at least we’re all thinking along the same lines. But, _ew_.”

“I know this doesn’t amount to much,” Tessa piped up, “But I can honestly say I’ve missed all your company. Above ground is severely lacking humor these days.”

Gabe wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “Nothing can get us down, Tess. You know that by now. I’ve missed you too, the Underground has been severely lacking hotties of your caliber.”

“Jesus, Gabe, keep it in your pants.”

\-------

Sam had used the excuse of being ‘tired’ to get out of the party earlier than he normally would. Although the rambunctious crowd probably wouldn’t have even noticed he’d gone missing anyway, _Dean_ was watching him like a hawk. Sure, he wanted to spend time with his brother, but there was something itching underneath his skin that he _needed_ to take care of before he could really celebrate.

Maybe it was a sign.

Maybe Gabe knew more than he let on, because when he was telling Sam about the Underground, he neatly planted the fact that there was an interrogation room at HQ, a few doors down on the right.

It all made sense now.

Gabriel knew something about Ruby, something the others didn’t know, something they were probably keeping away from him. Something they had no intention to discuss with him.  Except Gabe.

Yeah, Sam really liked Gabe.

He knew the majority of the people were where he left them, but he had no idea who else was out there and who he would run into while sneaking around.

Thankfully, it was the man who dropped the hint who was standing in a doorway.  However... he was talking to a few female voices inside, and that made Sam nervous.

Gabe stretched dramatically, _just_ enough to arch his back and glance out to into the hallway.  With a meaningful look at Sam, and a jeer of his head, Gabe gave him the go-ahead. Sam knew he’d keep the others distracted.

Sam didn’t know if it was in good faith or a set-up, but he knew he had to act quickly, regardless. He didn’t have time to think about it, he just rushed down the hall as quietly as he could and slowly turned the knob on the door he knew his friend was behind.

No matter what Dean said, he couldn’t let her die, he needed to see her.

“... Ruby?” He whispered and he shut the door behind him.

Her head shot up, eyes wide with disbelief as she saw him, “Sam?”

He didn’t hesitate crossing the space until his hands were cradling her face and he placed a small kiss on her lips.

There were tears forming in her eyes as he pulled away and sobs beginning to shake her body, “Oh god, Sam, I thought- I thought you were dead.”

Her words were shaky, and Sam was feeling overwhelmed from seeing her tied up. Still, he knew he couldn’t let her go without the others finding out.

“It’s so good to see you,” he breathed in deeply, pressing kisses to her forehead. “When they told me you were down here, I thought they’d killed you, I never thought I’d see you again, fuck, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Ditto, kid,” she smiled through the tears that Sam began to wipe from her face.

“Heard you went, quote, _kamikaze_.” Sam raised an eyebrow at her.

“I know this is gonna sound cheesy as shit, but when I found out you were dead I just didn’t think there was much to live for anymore. I’ve got a hell of a vengeful streak, and I know you’re pissed, but I was in a state of rage and bitterness. So, yeah, I kind of tried to kill your brother. My bad.” She looked a little ashamed.

Well, as ashamed as a demon could look.

“Yeah, I’m pissed about that. Like, _really_ pissed. But apparently you did a shitty job, and you’re both alive so I can get over it,” Sam ran a hand through her hair. “I can’t let you out, I’ve gotta fly under the radar here for a while, I need to, fuck, I need to be with Dean. But I won’t let them kill you, I promise.”

“Mm, always my knight in shining armor. But, okay, I trust you.” She smiled softly, and turned her head so her neck was exposed, “Want a treat?”

Sam started breathing a little harder.

Her smile grew, “Big gash under my shirt on my collar bone. Hasn’t healed, yet.”

Without hesitating, he pulled down the neckline of her tattered shirt and clawed a little more at the fresh wound. New blood bubbled up from under his fingernails and he leaned in to suck at it.

Ruby unintentionally moaned into the touch, and let her cheek lean against the top of Sam’s head.

“Glad to have you back with me, Sammy.”


	11. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _After a week, Dean was more or less healed from his run-in with Ruby, and Sam seemed better than ever. It almost pissed him off, how much better-than-ever was. His brother had a new drive, a new tenacity and desire to dominate. Even though training started off slow, Dean felt he was beginning to get left in the dust as it grew in intensity._
> 
> _In fact, there had been a few instances after training when he needed to excuse himself, and find a hiding place right fucking now because an issue was coming back._
> 
> _If vomiting blood, with a lack of internal injury and no pain, was an issue, that is._
> 
> _Even though it didn’t hurt, it left him exhausted, and an inherit sense of wrong followed him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/31/15

A few hours and a cubic fuck-ton of water had done Cas and Dean a world of good. It was well past two am when the majority of the party had fallen asleep. The two men were looking at each other shyly, waiting for someone to make the first move. Ellen and Bobby had stayed up and ‘out partied most of the young whipper snappers,’ and now it was just Charlie and Jo looking asleep on their feet.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Jo asked with a huge yawn, “Stop eye-fucking each other and just get it over with.”

Charlie giggled at the incredulous faces of the two men and stood when Jo did, “Yeah, and go back to HQ and don’t let me see any of it. I’ve had my share of you two horn-balls together to last a lifetime.”

“Yeah, no boning on the pool table, please and thanks.” Jo waved over her shoulder, headed to her room.

“Char, you gonna follow her to bed?” Dean smirked, giving her a taste of her own medicine.

“Shut up, and quit box-blocking, sir. When the time comes, I will jump all over that.” She made sure Jo had already shut her door before saying it. “ _Hopefully_  it’s in the near future.”

“Box-blocking?” Cas asked, more than a little confused.

Charlie snorted, “I’ll let you explain that one, Dean. Peace out, bitches!”

The redhead rounded the corner as Dean snickered, “Vagina, Cas. She was talking about her vagina.”

“Why didn’t she just say that?” He innocently asked. “I’ve never heard it referred to as a ‘box,’ that’s quite misleading.”

“Don’t sweat it. You ready to head back?” Dean stood and offered Cas his hand.

Cas took it, but there was still a slight stumble in his step. It made Dean smile.

“I know there was talk about you finding a permanent room at the officer’s quarters but-” he hesitated as they walked, “I’d like it better if you stayed with me.”

“Aww, Cas, asking me to move in already?” Dean threw an arm around Castiel’s shoulder.

“If that’s not agreeable with you, I can _assure_ you that-”

“Shh.” Dean placed a kiss on his lips to stop him, “I’d love that, Cas. Very much.”

Castiel’s smile turned brilliant, more than Dean had ever saw it before.

“’Fraid you may be stuck with me. Sorry about that,” Dean winked.

They walked in comfortable silence and finally arrived at the building. Then they quickly made it to their room to collapse.

But that was the thing.

They collapsed.

They were both physically and emotionally exhausted from the last few days and mumbled as much to each other as they tangled together. There was time, and - for now - the warmth of their bodies together was enough.

\----

The next few weeks passed without threat, without dramatics, and without anything more than Dean falling asleep next to Cas every night. There were two major reasons for that: Cas becoming extremely stressed out and determined to put together a team and a game plan to save Kevin. However, the main reason was that Sam and Dean had began training.

Well, _training_ was looking at it through rose-colored glasses.

Sam and Dean agreed it was more like a fucking _Nazi boot-camp_ lead by Anna and Meg.

They’d thought they had a pretty decent handle on protecting themselves in the past, being raised by hunters, but they were switching their defense to offense. Offense, on a full-fledged demon without the bells and whistling aides of salt and holy water, at that. Not to mention, a powered up robot-pagan creation who lacked sympathy, completely.

Dean mused in his head how sex between the two would be. Weird.

After a week, Dean was more or less healed from his run-in with Ruby, and Sam seemed better than ever. It almost pissed him off, how _much_ better-than-ever was. His brother had a new drive, a new tenacity and desire to _dominate_. Even though training started off slow, Dean felt he was beginning to get left in the dust, the more it grew in intensity.

In fact, there had been a few instances after training when he needed to excuse himself, and find a hiding place _right_ fucking _now_ because an _issue_ was coming back.

If vomiting blood, with a lack of internal injury and no pain, was an issue, that is.

Even though it didn’t hurt, it left him exhausted, and an inherit sense of wrong followed him like a looming shadow.

Still, he didn’t know who it’d be smart to talk to about, if it was even worth it since it wasn’t affecting him too much.

He definitely didn’t want Cas to know. He was buried up to his neck in his own shit storm of stress, and if the complete exhaustion on his face every day was something to go by... Dean didn’t need to worry the man even more.

He cared about Cas. He cared a lot about him a fucking lot - so much it scared him. He didn’t want to burden him with this.

Same with Sammy.

He considered telling Charlie, but he had to admit first and foremost - her loyalty was to Castiel, her _leader_.

Maybe Jo, his childhood friend could be his confidant, but then remembered she was too close to her mom: who would immediately bring it back to Cas. So no go there, too.

Screw Gabriel, he’d rather get stabbed all over again then have to go to that smarmy asshole.

The only person he was even considering was Garth.

Garth was cool, he welcomed Dean with open arms (literally) and was the closest thing to a medic they had. He could even examine him, or something.

But now he reeled back from a punch across the face. He forgot he was still in training and needed to get back in the game.

“What the hell, Deano, you’ve been zoning out too much. We’re not going to take it easy with you because you’re in fuckin' la la land,” Meg sneered, and recoiling her fist back, rebounded off her supporting leg to throw a kick behind his knee.

Dean dropped to the ground with a curse, but rolled quick enough to grab her leg and yank her down to her ass.

She smirked from where she landed on the ground, “Very good,” but then clamped both her legs around the arm Dean had pulled her down with, and twisted them both until he was pinned underneath her.

He groaned, knowing he’d just lost and glanced over where Sam was successfully dodging and weaving past Anna - until he was dipping around her, and effectively dragged her into a headlock.

He held her there for a few seconds, before she, slightly choked, commended him with, “Good work, Sam.”

She was let go and Anna turned to face him with a smile, “I must admit you’re getting stronger and stronger.”

“Yeah, you need to teach your lazy-ass brother a few things,” Meg moved off his prone form, and when she offered him a hand it was slapped away.

Dean got up to his feet by himself and didn’t say another thing before he walked to snag his bottle of water.

“I’m done for today,” Dean announced and began to walk away.

“Dean!” Anna followed, “You know Castiel gave us a specific amount of hours to work each session. If you just continue for another half-hour, we’ll be done.”

“Tattle on me, I don’t give a fuck, I said I’m _done_.”

“You on your period?” Meg stomped after him, “Or just a sore loser? You’re never going to get better with that attitude!”

“Hey, lay off,” Sam ordered the woman, “He’s tired, let him be, all right?”

“I don’t need you protecting me!” Dean spun around and snapped, “Fuck all of you, keep going, knock yourselves out and follow Cas' little rules. I need to get away from this.”

Silence.

Dean took that as a sign to get the hell out of there.

Once he was almost out of sight, he heard Sam tell the others that he would continue, and Dean rolled his eyes. Always the damn teacher’s pet _._

He needed to talk to Garth, now, he wasn’t getting any better, he was getting _worse_. Especially compared to Sam.

Dean wasn’t mad at his brother, he was far from it. He was damn proud, but something was _off_ about the whole situation.

He needed to figure out what.

\----------

Gabriel had noticed what was happening over the last couple weeks, and he was getting downright pissed at Castiel for _not_ seeing it. He loved his little brother, but his attention was uselessly squandered elsewhere besides where it should be. He was putting off too many things - things that could and should be addressed, pronto. Although he couldn’t go behind his back, per se, he could try to speed things along a little bit from an outside perspective.

He had a good idea of what was going on, he just needed to confirm a few more things before he jumped in head-first.

The Winchester training schedule was memorized in his head, and he’d casually wander around afterwards, every day. He _also_ noticed Sam was nowhere to be found for a good hour after. _Every day_. Everyone probably thought he was napping or showering, but every time Gabe walked by his room he wasn’t there. Oh, and then there was the fact he was still dripping with sweat, yet seemed to have gained a second wind after his oddly timed disappearance.

Gabe cursed at the idiots for not putting two and two together. Apparently, they were so caught up in their own lives they weren’t worried about the two most _important_ things here.

Gabriel’s internal alarm went off right around the hour mark and, like clock work, saw Sam strolling through the market place.

He crept up beside him and had to (embarrassingly) jump a little to reach the man’s shoulders.

“Holy shit,” Sam spat out, a half second away from punching him, “Gabe, don’t do that! You scared me!”

Yep, reflexes a bit _superhuman_ , check.

“Aww, but you’re so cute when you’re surprised,” he cooed, “How’s training been going? Sick and tired of the ladies yet?”

“Nah,” Sam blanked out, looking ahead of him, “It’s been going good. Really good, actually. I’m just worried about Dean. He’s not sick, but- I don’t know _how_ to describe it.”

Gabriel examined the other man for a quick second. He was running his hand through his long hair, and yes - still quite sweaty. An impish smile spread across Gabe's face.

He pulled Sam down and gave him a quick smack of a kiss on the lips then winked, “Oh, cheer up, buttercup. Dean’s been having a rough go lately. I’m sure he’ll snap out of it soon.”

Sam looked at him, with shocked eyes, and sputtered out, “What the hell! I’m really gonna punch you one of these days, and it won’t be an accident,” but had a teasing tone after the bafflement dissipated.

“Yeah, yeah, I know you love me. Whatcha say to grabbing some lunch?”

“I could be down for a snack,” Sam nodded, and continued walking, even more distracted than before.

Gabriel’s suspicions were  _undoubtedly_  confirmed, now.

Sam’s lips tasted like blood.

\-----------

Dean was sitting in the lounge and sure as hell wasn’t pouting _-_  even if Charlie teased him about it. He knew everyone was making their rounds while he was taking a minute to himself to gather his words. This was going to be a delicate situation and he needed all his ducks in a row, so to speak.

Garth walked in before he knew it, and waved with a bright smile, “Hey Dean! How’s it hangin’ today?”

With a shrug, Dean responded, “Could be better, I guess.”

“What’s the trouble, man?”

“Can I talk to you? Alone?”

Garth’s face fell into a form of puzzlement, but nodded, waving him towards his room. Once they were inside, he dropped to his bed and Dean sat in the chair across from him.

“So, tell me what’s on your mind?”

“Promise not to bring out Mr. Fizzles,” Dean’s tone was playful, but his face was anything but.

“Scout’s honor.”

“All right, uh, I don’t know where to start.” Dean looked down and started picking at his nails. It was a nervous habit he seemed to have acquired lately. “Things have been... Weird. Like, ever since I was attacked.”

“Weird, how?” Garth leaned in closer to him.

“Okay, this doesn’t get back to Cas. This doesn’t get back to _anyone_.”

Garth had never seen the man so serious, he nodded vigorously. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Ok - so it started after I woke up. I puked up blood and thought, you know, I was _stabbed_ , so it made sense with an internal injury or whatever. Only thing is, it never stopped. The wound’s healed, I feel fine but it’s _still_ happening. It doesn’t hurt, I just feel nauseous, get it out of my system and it’s okay. I don’t know what’s going on, I wish I could still Google it or something, but that’s out of the question so I need your help.”

Garth was silent.

For a long time.

That worried Dean more than what he was actually going through.

“Garth?”

“Y-yeah, just thinking. I mean, there’s no medical reason I can think of. This just started happening recently?”

“I mean, if you’re asking me if I’m a freak and have been spewing blood all my life, it's not exactly on my previous hospital records, dude.”

“Like I said,” he took a deep breath. “There’s no _medical_ reason. That’s what I’m here for, good old science. I know you don’t want to tell anyone else, but this might be more in the Pagan, or magic chapter of things. I wish I could help you more, but I’m at a loss. If you’re vomiting blood that often, you shouldn’t be as healthy was you are. Are you sure you won’t go to Cas? Or Gabriel? Hell, even Charlie knows her way around the lore and you’d be better off with them.”

“No, no,” Dean cut him off immediately. “There’s, like, no tests? _Nothin_ ' you could do?”

Garth looked remorseful and shook his head, “I’m sorry, bro. Nothing I can do or think of. But maybe I can find some old books and research around? I know where they are and will letcha know if I find anything.”

“Yeah,” Dean nodded. “I appreciate it. I hope this doesn’t like, hit me all at once and I’m out of commission, you know? Just gettin' a little antsy, here.”

“For sure. Okay, I’ll hit the books soon, and _you_ get some rest, all right?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Dean wasn’t very happy about being no further along with answers than he was before. “I’ll be in my room - if you find anything.”

“Feel better, I guess?”

“Thanks, man.” Dean stood up and left.

Garth waited until he heard the footsteps retreat, and the door to the building slam shut.

He scampered to his feet, and took off _running_.

\--------

After an uneventful lunch (minus some well-times jokes and perfect pick-up lines), and after he was sure Sam was settled back in the lounge, Gabriel left. He was on a mission, taking matters into his own hands. He had one goal in mind: he took off, and arrived at his destination in record time.

“Well, hello there, Ruby, long time no see.” Gabriel sneered, sauntering into the room, “Finally, all of this clicks together. Although I gotta say, it would’ve been nice to be filled in on the situation a little earlier. Apparently, my little bro has been making some choices on his own. Secrets don’t make friends and all, but when it’s fam being shitty, it sucks.”

Her head shot up, the new face of an unknown visitor seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

She was sick of surprises.

She titled her head at his words, though, “A Trickster? What are you doing here?”

“Well, good guess, but before all this Trickster stuff, I went by another name. You might also know of Gabriel? Delivered news to virgins and what not, set the whole Jesus thing into motion?” He walked closer when he saw the realization dawn on her face, “Yeah, photo-op later. So...I don’t know if you knew about the prophesy or just wanted to nurse Sammy for fun, but it turns out everything is on the right track.”

“Of course I knew about the prophesy, dumbass. I want this to be fixed just as much as _you_.” She growled. “So, let me guess, _you’re_ the other piece to this puzzle, huh?”

“Yep, as soon as Sammy gets a taste of this sexy mofo, the party‘ll be in full swing.” He patted her gently on the head, “Except, for the little hitch in the plan of getting the Righteous Man on board. He’s been babied lately and seriously slacking in _every_ department. Oh yeah, nice job on almost killing him, by the way. Now we’ve got a little mess to clean up before we can even _think_ about saving the world.”

Ruby didn’t have the tact to look regretful. “Whatever. It turned out all right in the end, huh? Are you going to let me out of this fucking graffiti yet, now that you know I’m on your side?”

“No go, girl. Think of this as a time-out.” He looked down at the Devil's Trap, “Once we get Deano ready, get _everyone_ on board, I guess you can come out to play.”

“This is bullshit!” She spat out, “What’re you gonna do, drain me while I’m trapped and add your own juices to a nice smoothie for Sam?”

“Gross, I’m totally over the blood letting. Kinda got boring after the old days and sacrifices to the Gods. I’d much rather we share candy hearts, or exchange Valentine’s day cards.” His face twisted up, “But you know, all these dramatic blood spells. Guess to make an omelet, you gotta crack some eggs?”

Ruby looked at him like he was an idiot, but before she could get the insult out, Gabe winked.

“Well, nice chat, see ya later. When we need some of your insides.”

“Wait!”

But Gabriel had already slammed the door.

\-------

When it rains, it pours. Well, not in the Underground, but metaphorically speaking.

As soon as Gabriel walked out of HQ, a very distraught looking Garth grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him.

“What the hell, dude?” Gabriel questioned, but let himself be pulled from the scene.

Garth was usually the epitome of relaxed, so seeing him frantic was... strange. Gabe almost wanted to offer the man a joint.

“We need to find some place quiet,” he explained, keeping up his fast pace.

“Well damn, if you wanted to make out all you had to do is tell me.”

At least that comment got the other man laughing. But he quickly turned it around with, “Hey! Don’t distract me. This is serious.”

“Yeah, I can tell.”

Apparently, the ‘safe place’ to talk was the greenhouse - as it was Garth’s shift there - Jo and Anna having been switched to other duties.

He let the other man into the misty greenhouse environment after him, and soundly shut the door. Instantly, they were both nearly choking on the humidity and covered in the dewy condensation. Gabe was _not_ amused - there was a _reason_ he steered clear of this job. So now, Gabriel was _fussy_. Not only him, but his hair.

“What’s this racket about now?” Gabriel asked folding his arms and uncomfortably shuffling on his feet.

“Dean came to me and wanted to keep it confidential but I knew this was too serious and had to tell someone but he hasn’t been feeling well lately, as in the fact that he’s ralphing blood even though he’s not sick and isn’t getting any stronger more like burnt out and I’m almost sure it has to do with the transfusion when he was hurt and I know you guys wanted to keep the bad blood on the down low but we need to get this moving and purge it because I think it’s doing it all by itself and we don’t know how this is going to affect him if he doesn’t have Castiel’s blood too but I don’t want to be the one to cause trouble and tell Cas, I can only handle Dean’s rage which is gonna happen soon, but it’d sound better coming from you but I’m worried as shit right now, man.”

“Woah, woah, woah, breathe!” Gabe stared at him with an open mouth, not believing he got all of that out in one breath. “I agree. Cas is putting this off, and we’re running out of time.” His brows furrowed together. He knew what he had to do. “All right. I’ll take care of this. Just act casual...and prepare for the rage of Dean, and I'll talk to my brother? Neither of them will have _time_ to be pissed, there's too much shit to do.”

“Thank you!” Garth practically fell into his arms and hugged him.

“Ugh, get off.” Gabe quickly shoved him away.

Cas couldn’t avoid this anymore: Gabriel was going to bring him an ultimatum.


	12. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _As soon as he realized what was happening, Dean knew there was no going back._
> 
> _He wanted this._
> 
> _He had craved this for so long, and the thought it was finally happening sent a shiver like lightening down his spine. The look and fire in those blue eyes told him immediately it wasn't stopping at kisses - it wasn't stopping at the fumbling hands, which always seemed to retreat._
> 
> _No, Cas was ripping his shirt off and holding him down to bite marks all along his chest._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 1/31/15

It was getting late and instead of laying in bed and going to sleep, Dean’s thoughts were racing over the talk he had with Garth that day. _Nothing changed_. He was still in the dark and was stewing like crazy on the inside. At least if Cas was there, his body warmth and light kisses would be a good distraction.

But he was running later than usual.

He knew he couldn’t continue to rely on Cas, but in the mean time, he didn’t even care. He was stressed out of his mind.

He grinned to himself as he heard the familiar footsteps down the hallway and soon enough the door was opening.

“You’re still awake?” Castiel asked, noting the light on in the room, “You don’t have to wait up for me, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” Dean leaned over on his side and beamed, it was something genuine Cas always managed to bring out of him. “Wanted to, though. Bed’s cold without you.”

Cas nodded and put his things down for the day, which happened to be a notebook and his uniform. Instead of getting into bed, like he'd been expecting (and hoping), Cas sat on the edge of a chair after he scooted it over to face Dean.

“Oh, damn. This looks like we’re about to have a serious talk,” Dean groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Not that serious. I was talking to Meg and Anna about training and they said you were upset about something today.” Cas frowned and he sounded honestly worried - rather than disappointed and angry like he _should_ have been at a subordinate (technically) disobeying an order. “Are you not well? Have there been complications from your wound?” He guessed at random, “Have you been getting enough sleep?”

“Stop, stop, Cas, everything’s fine and dandy, I think I’m just in a slump. Don’t worry, I snap back easy,” he shot the man a wink, “Maybe I just need more time with you. Probably going through withdrawals and you could fix that.”

Standing up and then walking over to the bed, Cas granted Dean a small smile and ran his hands though Dean’s hair in a tender touch. “Are you sure you’ll be all right? I’m not pushing you too hard, am I?”

Dean heaved a sigh because this was so typically Cas, “C'mon, man, everyone already teases me about you babying me. When you say things like that, I kind of believe it.”

He pressed a kiss to Dean’s forehead and said, “I know you’re strong and I apologize. I just care about you. You know that.”

“Mm,” Dean leaned into the touch and captured Cas’ lips with his own, “Stop, you’re gonna make me soft.”

“Kindness won’t make you soft.” He lingered into the kiss further before pulling away, “However, if the problem is withdrawals-” a smirk flashed across his face, “- we don’t have to go to bed right away.”

“Oh yeah?” Dean reached up and dragged the other man’s body down to his, “I wouldn’t complain about that at all. I _encourage_ it.”

“I honestly am sorry I’ve been so preoccupied, I’ve missed you,” the kisses were still languid until Cas finished with a thoughtful, “And today certainly wouldn’t be taking advantage of you.”

“I’m very, very, very sober right now,” Dean agreed avidly, his grip tightening, “And I miss you very, very, very bad.”

The man looked downright devilish and moved quickly to turn the lamp off. Before he knew it, Cas was on top of him and kissing him hard, barely illuminated by the peek of light under the door from the hallway

As soon as he realized what was happening, Dean knew there was no going back.

He wanted this.

He had craved this for so long and the thought it was _finally_ happening sent a shiver like lightening down his spine. The look and fire in those blue eyes told him immediately it wasn’t stopping at kisses - it wasn’t stopping at the fumbling hands, which always seemed to retreat.

No, Cas was ripping his shirt off and holding him down to bite kisses all along his chest.

The show of pure power was erotic, and Dean knew he wasn’t going to be able to push the hands off even if he wanted to. For the first time, he loved the feeling of being helpless - he trusted Cas enough to do whatever the hell he wanted.

In this moment, it was toying with him, getting him good and worked up while he teased at Dean’s nipple with teeth. It was bordering on the edge of painful but oh so perfect. He tried to grab Cas and haul him back so their lips could brush, but he tightened his grip at Dean’s hip and shoulder with a bruising force.

Dean’s pelvis rocked forward and managed to get _barely_ enough friction against Castiel’s toned stomach before he pulled away... just out of reach. He whimpered and worried in the back of his mind that this would be the time he’d stop. Or they’d get interrupted. However, all doubts fled his mind as another good yank sent his pants flying off, too.

The air was chilling against his skin, now only clad in a borrowed pair of boxers, and it made the feel of Cas’ mouth even more scorching.

The way he was licking Dean’s hip bones was fucking pornographic and he wished Cas would go just a little lower. Dean was so hard it ached - he was used to always tiptoeing around the other and being teased but never sated. The fact the subject of all his wet dreams and shower jerk-off sessions was merely inches away from his cock... it was too much to deal with.

He thrust up again, only to meet more empty space.

“Goddammit, Cas, _please_.”

That confident smug smirk on his face appeared - he knew exactly what he was doing to Dean. Castiel snaked his body back up so his hands were cupping either side of the man's face and their lips were a mere breath apart. “Please _what_?” He hovered over top of Dean, his palms their only point of physical connection.

“Please get naked, touch me, whatever, do _something_ ,” Dean knew he sounded pathetic, he was basically whining but having what he wanted so long, within reach? It was driving him absolutely crazy.

Cas watched him and seemed to give it some thought before very obviously sitting back to drag his eyes over every inch of Dean’s body. “I love seeing you like this,” he mused out loud before beginning to unbutton the shirt which had been under his uniform. “On your best behavior,” he tugged the button-up backwards to slide down his shoulders, “Begging for me,” he removed it completely, “With not just your words,” the belt buckle hissed loudly in the room as he pulled it from his pants, “But with your _body,_ too.”

Dean’s mouth was dry as he stared at Castiel’s outline, the man’s hands hesitated over the button on his pants. God, he was beautiful. His body was covered in scars that matched the patch-work on his jacket uncannily, but the long muscles and strong lines couldn’t hide why he’d been the one to walk away alive from those fights.

He was intensity. _Power_. And the tell-tale bulge in the front of his pants made Dean want to scream to get on with it.

Apparently, Cas wanted him to be ‘on his best behavior, right?’ Or whatever the hell that meant. Sadly, that was one thing Dean was never very good at.

He’d had enough of being toyed with and surged forward to grab the zipper of Castiel’s pants for him and help him the rest of the way. He only let Dean assist pulling them down before shoving him back to the bed and yanking them completely off himself.

That was the last straw of either man being able to keep their composure.

Cas attacked his mouth again, tongue licking the seam of Dean’s lips at the same time their hips finally crashed together. Dean tried to bite the moan down, but as soon as Cas started grinding their erections in rhythm he couldn’t hold it back anymore.

The friction was perfect, Dean’s hands scrambled down to grab Castiel’s ass and gain even more pressure.

Cas downright growled as they rutted together with a new ferocity and grabbed a handful of hair to wrench Dean’s head to the side.

He sucked against the exposed flesh of his neck, “I want you so badly, Dean.”

“Thought it was obvious,” he emphasized his point with another thrust upward, “that I’m with you on that.”

“Let me have you,” his voice was almost desperate, as he sought approval.

“Yeah, Cas, however you want.”

Castiel took that confirmation immediately, pulling away, and pulling Dean's boxers off.

In a flash, Cas had Dean's legs spread, mouth pressing kisses against his inner thigh. If Dean thought he was lost before, he was even more done for when Cas’ lips reached his cock.

He greedily lapped off the pre-cum before sucking the head into his mouth. Everything was sloppy, and messy and amazing. He had Dean writhing under him, begging for more in record time.

Dean tried to control his hips from thrusting into Cas’ mouth, afraid being too eager would make him pull away. He thought he'd fucked up when Cas' mouth left nearly as fast as it got there, it was barely more than a _tease_ , goddammit!

He knew why very soon.

Cas’ tongue trailed downward, pressing tender kisses from the tip of his length to the base, but didn’t stop. Dean whimpered loudly as a hand wrapped loosely around his saliva-slick cock right as Cas’ nose brushed his balls, tongue dragging feather-soft all the way.

His legs were pushed apart even further, and that’s when he felt a wet pressure circling his hole. The grip on his dick tightened ever so slightly as Cas’ tongue lapped, and worked at opening him up. It was so fucking hot and unlike anything he'd experienced before.  As soon as Cas pushed passed his entrance and Dean could feel him licking him from the inside _,_ he thought he was going to lose it _._

Dean’s hands grabbed desperately at the blankets while Cas’ tongue pushed into him and picked up speed, fucking his hole with that wet kind of perfect. He was so caught up in the feeling, he barely registered the half-second Cas pulled away to spit on his fingers.

One of the digits teased along the edge of his puckered opening and eased in along side Cas’ tongue. The burn didn’t come until one finger became two. After a hitch in his breathing, Cas picked up the speed of jacking Dean’s cock to distract him while he started scissoring him open.

And it worked. It was only his anticipation for the main event that had Dean fighting down the urge to blow his load way too soon. But, fuck, did he want it. He wanted Cas so bad, and he had no problem with this tug of war between pleasure and pain to get there. He was so lost in the moment - so lost in Cas' touch, Cas' _damn tongue-_

Dean briefly wondered if the Underground even had lube, but figured he might even like it better without... just because of the raw, dirty intensity Cas was using to finger him. He had trouble catching his breath as a third entered a little more gently, but the stretch was overwhelming.

Cas' eyes locked with Dean’s as he pushed his fingers in as deep as they could go. He shuttered out a breath as Cas drew them out, and sunk back in, loving the way Dean was writhing and meeting every push.

No longer needing to distract him, Cas let go of Dean’s erection and pulled his own boxers down, fingers still buried in Dean’s ass. Dean kept shamelessly arching into the touch and trying to pull Cas closer when the last of the clothing was discarded and Cas’ cock bobbed free.

For a second time, Dean’s mouth went dry. He swallowed quickly before moaning out, “ _Jesus_ , Cas,” and he became a combination of nervous and excited to take his cock.

It wasn’t as though he was a virgin or anything, but Cas was much bigger than anything that'd been inside him before, “Shit, is this gonna work?”

A smirk quirked on Castiel’s face as he leaned back up Dean’s body and curled his fingers in just the right way to hit that sweet spot inside him. Dean moaned loudly and started grinding to find it again, which Cas did right away with the next twist of his fingers.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he admitted, and reached for the hand Dean had white-knuckled into the sheets.

“If you‘re not sure you can take it,” Cas licked up and down the length of one of Dean’s own fingers, before sucking all of it into his mouth, “You could help out.”

A thin string of saliva bridged Dean’s finger from Cas’ lips, before an outright filthy grin crossed his face and he pulled Dean’s hand down between his own legs.

“Fucking hell, Cas,” the end of the thought cut out rapidly.

He used Dean like a toy and led him to push his own finger deep inside his ass, joining Cas’ other three. Dean bit his lip and started hissing out swear words from the burn and more - Cas curled Dean’s finger inside with his own to brush against Dean’s prostrate. Again, the lingering pain was forgotten... damn Cas and his skillful hands.

After a few more thrusts, Dean was whimpering and border lining on becoming a _complete_  mess when Cas whispered in his ear, “Think you can handle it _now_?”

Even if Dean was nearly wrecked, he recognized a challenge when he heard one.

“I was wondering when you were going to get around to fucking me,” he tried to sound as cocky as he could muster, but failed miserably.

Cas smirked at the state he’d wound Dean up to, and withdrew all at once. Dean groaned at the empty feeling as the other man stood up to dig around in a drawer.

It wasn’t so much lube, as it was a kind of oil that was probably some spell ingredient (Dean mused in his head) but something was better than nothing and Dean knew he needed to be fucked _now_.

Castiel crawled back to the bed, coating his dick thoroughly, but kissed Dean breathless again before making the next move. Even though Dean didn’t have to remind him, he thrust his hips back against the other man for just that.

Cas laughed and shook his head as he reached to line himself up. He kissed him hard with abandon while the head of his cock slowly pushed in. Yeah, the pain was there, just barely. Dean sucked on Castiel’s lip and nodded he was fine.

The touch of Cas’ tongue exploring his mouth right alongside the dick sliding inside him was almost too much, and he had to catch his breath again the moment Cas bottomed out. Dean was seeing stars, he felt like he was going to split in half but the feeling of being stretched and so full of Cas was just  _right._

“Fuck,” he wasn’t expecting Cas to hiss and clamp his mouth down on Dean’s neck. “You’re so tight, feels amazing.”

“God, please, Cas, you need to fuck me,” Dean was ready, now that he had that second to adjust and for Cas to get in the right head space before he came right then and there.

Cas smiled - full of happiness and it was strangely out of place for how carnal things had been up until this point. Dean didn’t care and placed a tender kiss on his lips before wrapping his leg around Cas’ waist and grinding into him.

That snapped them both to that ferocious passion, and Cas pounded into Dean with renewed vigor.

Dean moaned loudly and arched up to meet each and every thrust. Cas’ cock was pounding him impossibly deep, and Dean was unraveling by the second.

The force, the sweat between both their bodies and the stolen kisses added up to something... unexpected _._

It wasn’t just an intense fuck. It was safe: a sense of comfort and something more-

The sounds of slapping skin and heavy breathing filled the room.

There was a moment Dean tried to cover his mouth to the keep the sounds Castiel was forcing out of him muffled, but Cas instantly ripped his hand away, demanding, “I want to hear you. Hear how I make you feel.”

As soon as Cas found that sweet spot again, he was gone.

Dean yanked Cas back so their mouth’s met, unable to go another second without kissing him. He needed it.

Every thrust lined up perfectly, punching the gasps out of him and he knew he wasn’t even going to have to pump his own dick to come.

His words were jumbled, but Cas could hear the strings of “ _faster, oh fuck, right there, please, Cas, goddamn,_ ” whimpered into his mouth.

He was so fucking close now-

Fingernails raked down Castiel’s back and he was trying to swallow his own heavy breaths, plunging into the flawless heat that was Dean Winchester.

Before Cas could even warn him he was getting close, Dean cried out loud and covered their stomachs as he came.

The sight alone was enough to push Castiel over the edge, and he pounded into him even deeper as the orgasm ripped through his body.

He rode it out, thrusts slowing down and savoring the feel of their bodies slipping and sliding together, coated with sweat and release.

Neither of them moved for what seemed like hours, trying to catch their breath and Castiel unashamedly stared at the beautiful sight of Dean, spent, under him.

He knew it couldn’t last forever, so he pulled out slowly. Cas made a move to get up to find something to clean the mess up with, when a hand reached out to grab his wrist.

Dean was smiling up at him, and tugged him back down.

Their lips met tenderly and Cas melted into the kiss, all thoughts of towels forgotten.

“Mm,” Dean hummed, “Let’s do that again soon, please.”

Cas chuckled against his mouth and nodded, “I’d like that very much.”

“Doubt I’ll be able to walk in the morning. You up to carrying me around?” Dean ran his hands through the man’s dark locks with a mischievous smirk.

“Would you like me to look into procuring you a wheel chair, if we’re to do this more often? Although I‘m unsure how training would go. You could develop an entirely new technique of luring your enemies into false security, believing you're not a threat.”

“Smart ass.” Dean smacked a loud kiss against Castiel’s cheek, “Not a bad idea, though.”

“Especially with how accidental prone you are,” Cas poked him in the side, “And because I plan on fucking you quite regularly.”

“Hey!” Even though they were both flushed and sweaty, Dean’s pink face seemed to darken a shade, “Shut up.”

“Very well.” Cas pulled away again, “I’ll clean us up, and then I’ll shut up all night. You’ve thoroughly worn me out.”

Dean nodded and let Cas go about his business, sinking boneless into the bed. The smile wouldn’t leave his face as soon as Cas finished up and tucked in bed next to him. Dean savored the touch of their bare skin against one another and took no time getting wound up in Cas.

\-----------

The next morning was filled with stolen glances and secret smiles that lasted through the first breakfast they’d eaten together in a while. The dynamic had changed a little, but in the most flawless way Dean could imagine. There were lingering, soft touches, that took their relationship to a whole new level. Dean wasn’t used to feeling that kind of change after sex - it was usually the end of an era: something people used for a last hurrah before moving on with their lives.

He was _much_ happier with this scenario.

Others noticed, but seemed not to comment - even if it was sickeningly sweet and tease-worthy.

Maybe it was a case of 'about damn time.'

Dean had a new motivation, he wanted to make Cas proud and get in gear with his training.

He really wanted Garth to find something and give him some clue as to what was going on, too.

Dean wanted to be past this and moving forward, rather than backtracking.

He usually had a day or two in between violent puking flare-ups, so today he could throw himself into combat.

Sam gave him a knowing grin when he’d saw Dean walking funny, but after a quick, “not a word, Moose,” he’d dropped it and they dove into their training head first.

Meg acted more pissy than usual, but didn’t seem to have anything to bitch about because he worked hard.

By that, he meant he didn’t throw another tantrum and leave early, like last time.

In fact, he managed to get a few good hits in on her, maybe feeling slightly inspired by the fact she was acting like a jealous bitch.

Today was awesome, in Dean’s opinion, especially with the fact that he hadn’t seen Gabriel’s smug face the whole time.

Thank God for little miracles.

\----------

Gabriel was pacing, plotting, and poor Garth was just staring at him while he filled Charlie in on the situation. Her expression was dire.

“I-I had a feeling this was happening,” she admitted. “But I thought Cas was going to take care of it before it got too bad.”

“We need to have everything ready,” Gabriel was focused and finally flopped down on the couch next to Charlie. “Okay, between the three of us, we’ve got all our bases covered. We don’t need our leader, we don’t need Dean’s bestie, Jo, or her family giving us shit. We need an absolute, air-tight plan none of them can argue with. We’ve gotta be prepared.”

“Yeah, I agree with this, but there’s only so much we can do. Sure, Anna was on the verge of death and comatose when you guys managed to put her back together, but this is completely draining Dean of blood and refilling him. He’s not a cup of joe, he’s a living breathing human and none of our 'specialties' can keep him alive.” Garth tried to be the voice of reason.

“It’s like a puzzle we need to put together,” Charlie was thinking out loud. “When it’s done, Garth can do the transfusion and pump him full of Castiel and Meg-”

“Now that's just nasty.” Gabriel made a face.

“Anyway!” Charlie sent him a glare that scared even the former archangel. “Sure, Cas will be exhausted for a while and Meg won’t go totally unaffected because of her demon blood, but I know they’re gonna make the sacrifice. So that’s the final step. If we work backwards, I can watch his vitals and hook him up to at least fluids and monitor how close to death he is, but then we have the issue of, ya know...him actually _dying_.”

“I can do a ritual to slow it down, but not totally stop it,” Gabe said simply.

“Tessa might be able to pull him back to his body if he does die?” Charlie ventured a guess. “She still has those powers, I think. She just can’t take him to another plane anymore. When he’s dead he’ll just...vanish.”

“And who knows if she’ll be able to snatch him in time.” Garth mumbled, feeling pretty damn defeated in that moment. “I’m under the impression we’re royally boned, but we have to do something soon. Or... well-” The thought was left unfinished and hung silently in the air.

“Welp!” Gabe cheered right up and rubbed his hands together eagerly, “It’s a good thing I know a witch!”

“ _What_?” Charlie demanded, her eyes going wide.

“Yep, a witch to create a barrier between us and oblivion. And keep his soul hovering right above his body. I think if we add her to our gang, this could _probably_ work. We just gotta get Ruby on board,” Gabriel finished with a wink.

“Are you insane?!” Garth exploded at the suggestion, “The chick who tried to kill him and got us into this mess in the first place?!”

“Yeah, what the flip are you thinking?!”

“I happen to know a few things about Ruby. Things that you’re not allowed to share with the class until the time comes,” Gabe leveled a smirk, “But, believe it our not, she just had an episode of crazy-bitch-on-the-loose syndrome. She’s on our side.”

“Oh my God,” Charlie moaned, “I can’t believe we’re sinking this low.”

“Desperate times!” Gabe sung out, “So wanna know the Ruby gossip, or not?”

  
\------

  
When he laid down with Cas at the end of the night, he was pleasantly sore from many things. Which meant he was simply content to soak in Cas' warmth and relax down on his chest.

“Withdrawals fixed, check,” Dean announced, and kissed the man‘s neck from where he was settled on his shoulder, “Glad I got my drug of choice back into my life.”

Cas laughed and sarcastically asked, “Oh yes? And what kind of drug would that be? You haven’t been engaging in morally questionable things when I’m away, have you?”

“Mm, just the usual. Blue, crack cocaine, and angel dust.” Dean teased him, but got confused when Cas’ body tensed up, “Woah, I’m joking, man. I doubt you’ve got drug lords just chillin’ down here.”

Cas was silent, and then asked hesitantly, “Dean. What do you think of angels?”

“It was a drug reference, not a dicks-with-wings reference,” he laughed, “you need to catch up on your pop culture.”

“There is no need nor way down here,” he grumbled and took in a deep breath. “But in the bible. Angels. The mythology of them. The rumors of the fall when the demons took Earth. What are your thoughts?”

“Oh yeah, the bedtime stories people told to brainwash the kiddos?” Dean snorted, “Don’t tell me you’re one of the jackasses who believe in it.”

Cas was quiet for a long time.

“Hey, don’t pout. What are you thinking? Why do you want to know?” He asked, much softer this time, worried he had struck a nerve and Cas was actually some in-the-closet Jesus freak. It would be weird, sure, but it wasn't a deal-breaker that'd make him any less attractive. Sure, Dean may judge and tease him, but he could try to reason with him, at least. Since Cas seemed kind of serious...

“I am- I’m confident in the existence of angels. They’re powerless now, but I do believe they were once mighty, celestial beings who had the best intentions. However, it was too little too late and Lucifer gained the upper hand,” Castiel’s voice was quiet, barely heard, even in the silence of the room. “Lucifer was an angel, he knew the other’s weaknesses and performed a spell to cast them out of Heaven and took their grace for himself. They retain their knowledge and are on Earth to help, but can’t fight the way they used to. I know you’re a nonbeliever, but I wish you’d consider changing your mind. If you believe in demons... Why not angels?”

Dean had no idea what to say for a while. He didn’t want to piss Cas off, but _he_ was getting pissed off about all this holy bullshit himself.

“Cas. You can think whatever you want, and I’m gonna believe whatever I want, but you gotta understand that. I’ve known demons for almost as long as I’ve been alive. My parents ar- were hunters. I grew up with this, Sammy, too. They knew about _everything_ , demons, wendigos, fuck, we even knew _fairies_ existed. But that’s as far as I’m willing to go. Evil is here, and not good. If there was good, we’d have a chance, but it doesn’t exist and that’s why we’re fucked. I can believe in _humans_ trying to make a difference.” He cleared his throat before he could get too heated. “You guys are making a difference. You’re fighting for good and change, not some make-believe angel assholes. I have faith in _you_.”

Cas twitched, uneasy and more nervous than Dean had ever seen him. He must have touched a nerve.

“Then,” Cas hesitated, even longer this time. “You _do_ believe in angels.”  
  
“What the fuck, are you seriously not listening to me at all?” The irritation was now in his voice, he was no longer trying to edit himself for Cas' benefit. He was pissed.

“No, Dean, you need to listen-”

“Let’s just go to bed.”

“I used to be one.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Cas tilted his head to breathe Dean in and kissed him one more time, whispering into his hair.

“I used to be an angel.”


	13. Disarray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It wasn’t just her eyes that were twitching, it was her whole body._
> 
> _One of her arms clamped around Dean’s throat, and he was instantly choking against the superhuman grip. He fought with desperation, trying to pry her off, but then something strange happened._
> 
> _She snapped out of it, and looked alarmed. Her free hand acted on its own to grab on and help Dean fight against the one that was choking him._
> 
> _The alarmed expression turned to panic._
> 
> _She kept opening and closing her mouth like a gaping fish, trying to push words out, but more and more of the thick, oil-like substance started flowing out of her mouth and splattering across his face._
> 
> _Then there was a sickening crack._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/1/15

“I need to talk to you right fucking _now_.” Dean, frankly, didn’t give a shit if he was being rough with her, this confrontation was going to happen if he needed to tie her down and demand answers.

“Dude!” She hissed as Dean grabbed her shoulder and pulled her around the corner, “What the hell is your issue?!”

“You wanna know what my issue is, Jo? The fact it was _you_ who decided it was a good idea to keep me from knowing about the angels. And it’s because of you trying to ‘baby poor little Dean, who can’t handle the truth’ that I was ignorant until _after_ I started getting fucked by an Angel of the Lord?!”

“Woah, woah,” she held her hands out in front of her even though she knew he wouldn’t hit her. “Didn’t exactly take you as a bottom.”

“That is completely besides the point!” He huffed, frustration heavy in his voice. 

Apparently, the only route Jo was planning on taking was the sarcastic one, “Well, I’m happy you’re not having a big gay freak out. But this is a good thing, right? Angels and shit. Makes having faith not quite so stupid, right?”

“ _Fallen_ angels,” Dean reminded, as he threw his arms up, “I knew all this Air Force shit was bull. Dammit, Cas is the worst liar in the world, I should have known something was up from day fucking one!”

“Like you said, though, it was me. Not Cas. Don’t take it out on him, all right?”

Dean visibly deflated after she spelled it out, “Not like I have much of a choice.”

Jo smirked, clearly not caring how much Dean was panicking right now, “Yep, you can’t stay mad at the ones you love,” she accented the words with a little shimmy of her shoulders.

“My love for you is a dying flame, dude.”

“I obviously meant Cas,” she winked at him, “Another reason you can’t be mad. Even if you’re fussy right now.”

Dean was happy he couldn’t see his own face, because he had a feeling it would be bright red, “Yeah, yeah. Fuck off.”

\-----

Sam was deeply engrossed in a book when Gabriel and Tessa walked into the room. He gave a friendly smile, looked at the page number he was on, and set it on his desk.

“Hey there, handsome!” Gabe greeted and sat himself right next to Sam without hesitation.

“Hi,” he addressed the man invading his personal space first, then nodded to the woman, “Hi, Tess, what're you guys up to today?”

“Wish we could say a nice day off, but we never get that lucky, huh?” Gabe crossed one leg over the other and continued to lean into Sam’s bubble.

He didn’t bat an eye, this wasn't a surprise by now. It would be weird if Gabriel _didn't_ get cozy with him.

“Yeah, I figured as much, so lay it on me.”

“I’d love to-”

“Gabriel,” Tessa warned and folded her arms, “This isn’t the time for more failed attempts at seduction.”

He pouted and dramatically groaned, “You’re no fun.”

“Anyway!”

“Yes, anyway. It wasn’t until I got here that I noticed what was off,” Tessa began explaining, shifting between her feet in a show of nerves that made Sam uncomfortable. Tessa was never nervous. “I know Gabriel filled you in on many more things than your brother knows, but we’re going to need you to help us make _him_ believe and get him ready. There’s something we need to do. That he needs to be willing for. Or else...it will be sheer torture.”

“Dean?” Sam was on high alert when it came to anything concerning his brother. “What’s going on?”

“You’re aware of the prophesy. What you might not know is that there are _very_ specific parameters. Groupings - if you will. These are needed to fulfill it and gain power. We ran into a little hitch in the road.“ She exhaled deeply, “Although it was very noble of Gabriel to give blood to your brother when he was injured, it wasn’t the _right_ kind. His body needs Castiel’s. And he’s beginning to deteriorate without it.”

“I thought the prophesy said it could be any angel and any demon?” Sam’s eyes were wide, “But what happens now?”

“We need to correct that mistake. We have a plan that’s nearly fool-proof, but there are two things we need from you.” Tessa's words were deliberate.

“Anything,” he replied without hesitation, “Anything I can do to save him.”

“There’s that adorable puppy face,” Gabe nuzzled into his shoulder. “All right, the first thing we need you to do is honestly tell us, can we trust Ruby? Can you vouch for her, like _really_ vouch for her. Like, trust her with your brother’s _life_?”

“Yes,” strangely enough, there was no hesitation in those words, either, “I trust her with my life. And Dean’s. What happened was a... _fluke_ , she was just acting out of anger but now that we’re together again, it’s going to be fine.”

“Breakin’ my heart-”

“What’s the other thing?” Sam's eyes lit up - so far, so good - even though the first request was going to take some begging on his part.

“Convince your brother. Convince him we need to do this, and he will survive but... it will be very painful. Convince him he can trust us. _And_ Ruby. As soon as possible.” Tessa emphasized the ‘soon.’ “I have a feeling you’re the only one he’s going to believe.”

“Shit,” Same mumbled. “I’ll do it.”

“Good boy, we’ll start preparations and get this show on the road. The quicker it‘s over, the better.”

\----

Dean was back to his usual method of avoiding things: wandering and not doing what he was supposed to. He was annoyed. Annoyed that things had been hidden from him, and kind of annoyed at himself for being so hard-headed and not even paying attention to the stories in the first place. It was partially his fault, in the way that once he had his mind set to something, there was no going back.

Except, there _had_ to be a 'going back.'

He couldn’t call everyone a liar, refuse to believe it, refuse to be friends with those who believed (which just so happened to be fucking everyone but him) and he couldn’t hate Cas and refuse... Whatever _it_ was they had going.

After Cas explained a few things the night before, Dean admitted he'd acted like a child. He rolled over away from Cas in bed and gave him the silent treatment.

But really, how the hell else was he going to handle it?

Jump on the heaven bandwagon and beg to be ‘touched by an angel?’ No, he was pissed.

And thankfully, Cas was a saint and let him be pissed. He left in the morning without saying a word, because he already knew he'd be getting the cold shoulder for a while.

Dean eventually found himself farther than he’d been out in the Underground in a while. Ironically, it was where he’d gotten lost when he was pissed, drunk and Cas was leaving for his last mission. He knew how to get back this time, living and learning all the routes - but that was when he noticed a flash of red hair headed towards the river.

He started to jog, following the familiar figure before she could disappear into the shadows that were masking the caves and the river’s edge.

“Anna?” He yelled out from behind her, trying to get her attention.

She stopped walking. But that was it. Her back was still turned to him and she seemed to freeze completely in her tracks. Eerily so.

“What are you doing out here? Did you get a mission or something? I thought we were training later today.” Dean frowned, and felt awkward because she remained motionless. “Uh, I know I’ve been a shitty student lately. But I’m getting better and I'll work harder. Are you pissed at me or something?”

Yeah, this was becoming more and more awkward by the moment.

He literally couldn’t think of anything else to say.

However, he didn’t need to - before he knew it, he was flat on his back with the woman on top of him.

“Woah, woah! If we’re doing some training in new scenery, could you at least warn a dude?!” He tried to push her off, but something caught his eye hiding behind the waterfall of red hair.

More specifically, _her_ eyes.

He always joked that they looked dead and expressionless, but this wasn’t something he could have prepared for.

One eye looked like it was _caught_ , her iris twitching while pointed upward towards her brow. The other was looking directly at him, a sickening shade of silver, with black goo caught in the corner. It was unnerving. It wasn’t just her eyes that were twitching, it was her _whole body,_ shaking unnaturally with tremors.

One of her arms clamped around Dean’s throat, and he was instantly choking against the superhuman grip. He fought with desperation, trying to pry her off, but then something strange happened.

All of a sudden, _Anna_ snapped out of it and looked alarmed. Her free hand flew out to grab onto the other which had locked up, to help Dean fight against the hand that was acting _without_ her.  The one that was _still_ choking him.

The alarmed expression turned to panic.

She kept opening and closing her mouth like a gaping fish, trying to push words out, but more and more of the thick, oil-like substance started flowing out of her mouth and splattering across his face.

Then there was a sickening _crack_.

She had wound up and, with a closed fist, Anna managed to snap her arm in half, breaking it in two, clean pieces. The jagged edges of her ulna and radius were sticking out and she tumbled backwards, once free.

But her detached hand was _still squeezing_ his throat of its own volition.

“Dean!” She whipped out of her trance and scrambled towards him again.

Only, he couldn’t respond, still being strangled to death by her broken-off hand.

She was struggling to fight the appendage, trying to pry it off, as Dean urgently fought against it too. Her eyes lit up with terror, finally focused the _right_ way, until the thing finally disconnected, and-

... Fell.

Dean strained to catch his breath, petrified of whatever was happening, but a look at Anna (seemingly) back to herself didn’t exactly make him feel any better.

His training came back full speed and he crouched into a defensive position as he tried to pull himself together.

He had no idea what the _fuck_ was going on.

Anna pulled away, seeing the fear in his eyes and didn’t offer anything besides an, “I’m sorry.”

She was torn apart, not only from the broken bones and missing hand.

Her body had a sickly color to it and he could see veins protruding with every pulse of her beating heart. She staggered as she took a step towards him, but that was all she could manage as she crumpled to the ground like a marionette who’s strings were cut.

Small dust clouds puffed up from where she collided against the dirt and she wasn’t moving.

Yet, she was still muttering over and over again, “ _I’m sorry, I’m sorry sorry sorry_.”

The hand had seemed to stop moving and he reached up to massage his neck. The adrenaline rushing through him was making him sick, combined with the scene in front of him. God, it felt like he was going to throw up. What the fuck was he supposed to do?

He didn’t dare get close to her, but he tried to get through with his words.

“Anna, what the hell is going on? What can I do?”

She kept chanting over and over again, caught like a repeating record.

Dean did the only thing he knew how to do.

He took off running.

Gabriel and Charlie _had_ to know what was going on.

\----------

Dean was shaken when he made it back into the heart of the city, but he had no idea where he was going to find the two. They were making their rounds, doing their chores but which ones, he hadn’t a _clue_.

So although he wasn’t quite ready to face the man yet, he knew _Cas_ would know.

And he knew where Cas was going to be.

He ran back to HQ and into the meeting room where Castiel had been pouring over books in the early afternoon, looking for god knows what, fully immersed in his reading.

“Cas!” Dean’s voice was frantic.

Those blue eyes shot up and widened, “What’s wrong, Dean.” And a half second later, he was on his feet and right in front of him.

“Anna, it’s Anna something’s wrong, need to find Charlie and Gabe.” He was _still_ trying to catch his breath and it didn’t help when Cas’ hands shot up to his neck and Dean flinched.

Cas' fingertips brushed across the skin that was probably beginning to turn black and blue. He looked at the blood and black splatters on his clothing and face, and a mix of rage and worry lit all his feature’s on fire.

“Where is she?” His voice was cold, frozen in an instant to an all-business tone and he was ready to act.

“By the entrance, exit, _whatever_. She attacked me, then collapsed. Something’s seriously fucked up with her.” He was strangely soothed by Castiel’s touch, even though he didn’t want to be.

“I’ll get there right away,” his hand brushed against Dean’s cheek, and he almost leaned in for a kiss but hesitated, “Go take a bath, change and relax. I’ll be back to check on you once I’ve taken care of this.”

And then he was gone.

Dean cursed internally, because he'd wanted Cas to kiss him. He hated how the dynamic had shifted between them.

A bath really did sound amazing right now. He needed to wash away the remnants of his broken down friend.

\---------

After collecting the rest of the team, Charlie, Gabriel and Castiel booked it to the outskirts of town.

Anna was still exactly where Dean said she would be, on the ground, twitching in a pool of red and black, mumbling ‘sorry’ over and over again.

“Oh, son of a slut,” Charlie tried to run to her, but she was cut off by Cas’ arm.

“Let Gabriel check it out first. We wouldn’t want you to be injured if she’s still dangerous.” Cas explained as calmly as he could, and Gabe took that to be his cue.

“Glad to know I’m expendable, bro,” Gabe teased but with good humor. “Either that, or you just keep me around for my brawn.”

He knelt down next to her, first feeling for a pulse. Then, he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her on her back, none too gently.

“Yo, Anna, this ‘sorry’ thing is getting old and Dean’s fine. What’s going on,” he snapped his fingers in front of her face, but all that did was snap her out of her daze just enough for her eyes to roll back in her head and collapse completely.

“Don’t think she’s much of a threat,” Gabriel made eye contact with the rest of the group, “But we do have a little task of putting her back together, kind of like a scarecrow. If she attacked Dean, she obviously doesn't have a damn brain.”

"Thanks, Toto," Charlie rolled her eyes, and knelt down to pick up the hand close to her feet. She nodded, “I knew she was due for an... uh, upgrade soon, we’ve all just been so distracted, I’m sorry, Cas.”

“You needn’t apologize to me, but Dean-”

“I don’t think he’ll need one, he’s gotten enough to last a life time from our crazy queen here. Cas, help me lift her,” Gabriel began to pull her dead weight to a seated position, her head lulled lifelessly to the side. “We’ll have to tell Meg soon, but I don’t think it’ll be good for her to see her GF like this. After we get a head-start playing mad scientists, think you can do that, Cassie?”

He nodded, helping to pull her up, “Yes, I’ll do that after dinner. I need to make sure Dean’s all right. Last night,” he paused with a heavy sigh, “I told him about the fall and the angels here.”

Charlie’s eyes widened, “Shit, how did he take _that_?”

“Not well, I’m afraid. He thought I was a _‘delusional bible thumper’_ for a while. And then he was just angry.” Cas exhaled as they began their walk with Anna, “Very anger.”

“Eek,” Charlie made a face. “But you know, I’m proud of ya.”

“About damn time.” Gabe grumbled, “And the beginning of the bomb shells start to drop.”

\------------

Dean didn’t know how much time had passed. He had scrubbed his skin to the point of it turning red, but laying back in the tub was doing wonders for his sore muscles. Although it was a pain in the ass to draw the water and then heat it, it was totally worth the trouble.

The only problem was, now that he was alone with his thoughts and not really doing anything _but_ thinking, said thoughts hit him like a truck.

“Angels, huh?” He mumbled to himself and stared at the ceiling.

Sure, it was a lot to take in. But then after he had (kind of) accepted it - his mind took another turn.

Why did Cas give a shit about _him_?

Celestial being - powerless or not - he was out of his league.

Why did he give a shit about some random, fucked up dude just leeching off his hospitality?

Dean had done nothing for him.

He couldn’t train worth shit, kept getting hurt, and apparently had some kind of freak disease brewing in his body.

Cas was way too good for him.

He was a leader. A damn good leader. He was saving them, risking his own life to make theirs worth living and took all the responsibility virtually on his own.

Dean wasn’t even a part of the team, not yet.

And, at the rate he was going, he would _never_ be.

He took in a deep breath, and let himself fall under the surface of the water.

He felt weightless, his body relaxed even if his brain wouldn’t seem to do the same. He knew he was giving power to all those monsters inside his darkest thoughts, but how could he not? He was nothing special. He proved it, time and time again, the look Cas had given him when he saw Dean was injured... he didn't deserve that sympathy. He should have been able to defend himself, he should have-

When he broke the surface of the water, he opened his eyes to see a figure looming over him.

“Jesus, Cas, wear a bell!” He sputtered out water, not having paid attention in the least and was totally caught off guard.

The other man smiled a little bit, “I’ll be sure to acquire one on my next mission.”

He knelt besides Dean in the tub and he tried not to look self-conscious at his blatant nakedness.

Not like it wasn’t something he hadn’t saw before, though.

“What happened with Anna?” Dean asked right away.

Cas sighed, “Charlie had diagnosed it as a matter of ‘not getting her scheduled check-up.’ Every so often, they have to refresh the spells Gabriel used on her, and Charlie needs to do- whatever it is she does. I don’t pretend to understand it.”

“Hah, above both our pay grades. She’s too smart for her own good.” Dean nodded. When Charlie ranted on the subject of tech shit, Dean always zoned out after the first couple sentences. Not because it was boring or because it didn't care, but because he just never got it.

“Yes,” Cas confirmed, “Much above our pay grades.”

They sat together in an uncomfortable silence.

That was until Cas asked, barely above a whisper, “Are you all right?”

Dean snorted, “Yeah, ‘m fine. Kinda mild, compared to all the beatings I’ve been taking lately.”

Cas’ hand slowly moved to Dean again, and he looked up, asking permission silently. Dean shrugged, and it was enough for Cas to move forward and brush his fingertips over the bruises and raw skin.

“I don’t mean merely about this,” he sighed. “I mean, about everything.”

“You’re talking about last night, huh.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.”

Well, _this_ was another awkward silence.

“Hey, you need to clean up too. Get the Anna juice off you. Hop in,” Dean was giving him a little more leeway, hoping he'd take it for what it was.

Cas responded with a very pleased smile.

Progress, he told himself. This was progress.

He peeled the disgusting uniform off, and tossed it in the pile to join Dean’s clothes.

Dean couldn’t help staring. So sue him if he had a minor obsession with Cas’ body. It was like admiring the beauty of a painting.

...Although, Dean never had _sexual_ feelings over paintings.

He knew the conversation wasn’t over when Cas settled on the opposite edge of the tub. His legs slipped over the outsides of Dean’s as he eased in, so they were facing each other.

“I-I didn’t mean to lie to you about it. Jo informed me that it would be too much for you to take in at the time of your arrival, and you needed to adjust,” he wouldn’t make eye contact with Dean, and opted to move his hand over the surface of the water, creating ripples instead. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Dean. And when our relationship... _changed_ ,” he picked _that_ word, of all words, “there was never a good time to discuss it.”

Dean had never seen Cas this unsure of anything, it was a mix of adorable and disconcerting.

He also never wanted to see Cas unsure like this again.

Dean gripped the top of Cas’ knee and rubbed down his leg with what he hoped was a reassurance. “Yeah, yeah I get it. You should know by now that my first reaction to things is to get pissed,” he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s an anger problem, I’d say I‘m working on it, but that'd be bullshit.”

Cas looked up, their eyes finally met, and he gushed, “No, this was my fault, you have reason to be mad and I hope you can forgive me.”

“I guess,” Dean gave him a small smirk. “I can think of a few ways for you to make it up to me.”

Dean gripped both Cas’ knees and scooted them together until they were overlapped at the thighs. If Dean had brought them within range to kiss the one another, so sue him.

Cas took this as a good sign and reached forward to cup both sides of Dean’s face and do just that.

Everything was strangely sweet and tender, like that stolen moment the first time they’d had sex. Cas was afraid he was going to pull away, a new wave of betrayal to wash through Dean’s veins at any second, but it never came.

It was different - the accommodating kisses, the warm hands making the water seem tepid and the gentle moans Cas couldn’t help but release.

He was almost sure if he were a cat, he’d be purring enthusiastically.

It was Cas to grab Dean’s hips and pull them even closer, Dean now practically sitting in his lap. The touches slowly turned sizzling as their wet skin slid against one another and their bodies came together.

The slick rub of Dean’s erection against the other’s stomach and the hard touch of Cas’ dick rutting between his ass cheeks pulled erotic noises from deep in Dean’s throat. It was hard to stay mad at Cas when he could distract him like  _this._ Dean loved how bright the bathroom was - he could see the lust in Cas' eyes and the exact shade of red his lips became after hungry kisses. He could see everything this time. It did things to him, and propelled him forward to grind against Cas with even more desperation.

As Castiel’s cock caught at the cleft of Dean’s ass, he quickly bit down on Cas’ neck, trying to stop from moaning even louder. It wasn't like they were in their bedroom, tucked away from prying eyes. The bathroom was directly across from the meeting room at HQ, and who knew who'd be able to hear them now. But, hell, if he wasn't tempted to just say fuck it and beg for Cas at the top of his lungs.  But first things first -

“Not gonna lie, as much as I want it, I’m... uh, still a little sore from last time,” he whispered, and licked the shell of Cas’ ear. “Just gotta get used to it.”

He could feel Cas’ smile against his unshaven cheek as the man replied, “There are many _other_ things we could do.”

Before Dean could make a witty retort, Cas lifted him up just enough to move both their erections together. Then he wrapped his hand around _both_.

Cas could feel the vibration of Dean whimpering into his shoulder, trying to keep quiet when Cas started pumping them at the same time.

He was too afraid to kiss Dean’s throat, knowing he’d get carried away and end up biting the already abused flesh. So he nibbled along his shoulder and picked up the speed of his fist, loving every second of Dean’s muffled gasps.

Dean had already been turned on the second Cas got naked, so it took no time at all to bring him him to the edge of release. It didn't help matters when he looked down - he reveled in the way they were connected by Cas' hand, their dicks straining under the splashing water. Dean couldn't help but thrust up into his hand and roll his hips, craving more friction. Yeah, he  _really_ loved the lights that were on and getting to see Cas' thick cock sliding along side his was just -

He was panting, “Cas, shit, I’m gonna-”

“Come for me,” he took advantage of Dean’s open mouth and cut him off with a deep kiss.

Dean kissed back fiercely until he couldn’t take it anymore. When the orgasm ripped through his body, he swears he didn’t shout, maybe it was only half a shout? He didn’t care who heard.

Cas’ hand faltered, and the jerks became frantic as Dean rode out the pleasure and Cas quickly followed.

They were both catching their breath when Dean smirked and placed a chaste kiss on the other’s lips, “I love make-up sex.”

“Mm, I do, too,” Cas' head lulled in the crook of Dean's neck, and languidly sucked a few love bites against his collar bone.

They were both flushed, and, after their racing hearts calmed down, Cas tilted his head at Dean, “Perhaps we should drain this and take a shower to clean up again.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dean flicked his tongue along Cas’ earlobe that immediately had him shivering, “Round two before bed, kay?”

“Yes. Yes, I’d like that.”

\-----

Dean was pleasantly buzzing with happiness and thrumming in the post-orgasmic pleasure as he towel dried his hair and walked out into the open meeting space in a fresh pair of Cas' sweat pants.

Immediately, the happiness was killed.

More like brutally _slaughtered_.

Ruby was smirking at him, feet casually kicked up on the table, while she sat next to Sam, Gabe and Tessa.

She even had the damn nerve to be wearing one of _Sam’s_ shirts.

“What the fuck is going on!?” Dean demanded dropping the towel to the floor.

“Dean?” Castiel nearly ran into him from where he’d frozen, and then peeked around to see what in the room had him so livid.

“Why is she out?” His voice was equally angry and pitched to a fierce, low rumble as he pushed Dean aside and put himself in front of him, feeling the sudden urge to _protect_.

Sam was on his feet, his hands in front of him in a non-threatening attempt to placate, “Dean, everything’s all right.”

“The hell it is!”

“Let me explain-”

“This should be fun.” Ruby winked at Dean, and smiled at Sam, “Good luck with this one, big boy.”


	14. Exposure/Explosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Dean, I-”_
> 
> _“I’m not fucking done!” He couldn’t contain the rage, and shoved Cas back to the bed with both hands. “Thought I was too weak? Too weak to handle this? Well, thanks a fucking ton for your vote of confidence. It was a coward move to make Sam do it, because you knew I wouldn’t punch his lights out, like I’d probably do to anyone else. Including you.”_
> 
> _He was growling, infuriated like an feral animal who’d been released from his cage._
> 
> _Cas tried to push himself up to his elbows, but was stopped by the deadly look in Dean’s eyes._
> 
> _"You lied to me and now everything’s clicking. You only wanted me around because I was the ‘Righteous Man’ or whatever shit that is. You played me and thought you could win this game."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

Everyone in the room wore a different expression - which made it look like there was only disaster ahead.

Dean and Cas both looked at Ruby in disgust. Cas had an arm out to block Dean, both for protection and the fact that Dean was probably going to launch and start throwing punches at any time. As a leader, Cas tried to take a deep breath in. No matter how upset he was about seeing her, if Ruby was out in the open with some of his more trusted comrades, he needed to hear them out. There  _had_ to be a reason. It better be a damn good one, or Castiel would the first one to take a swing...

Ruby was grinning, completely smug and downright ecstatic with the reactions she was garnering. She reveled in the anger, and had that cocky _‘_ ha, ha, I won' look on her face that Dean wanted to wipe right off. She even had the _nerve_ to snicker and coo out, “You’ve got quite the catch there, Dean. I’m impressed you tempted an angel, and kudos to getting such a _sexy_ one.”

“Shut the fuck up, bitch.”

His brother had his puppy face turned on full-blast. He was trying to calm Dean, and having Ruby here wasn’t helping.

He turned to Tessa, “Can you guys take a walk for a little bit?” His voice was kind and Dean hated the fact that he was treating Ruby with that kind of respect. He shouldn't be giving her any respect at all _._

“Yeah, Tess, feel free to walk her right into the fucking river,” Dean growled, but moved out of the way as she headed for the door. "Don't forget to tie bricks to her ankles."

Ruby stopped right in front of him, deciding to play with fire,  “Sorry about the murder attempt, Deano, I’ll behave from now on,” her voice was disgustingly sweet, but then she dragged her eyes up and down Cas in a way that made Dean want to kill her all over again. “But it looks like you’ve been _very_ well taken care of. It _sounded_ like it, too.”

Cas didn’t miss a beat, “Leave. Now.”

Even in the middle of his rage, Dean couldn’t help but feel a flare of excitement hearing Cas’ voice. It was damn sexy when he was in charge and dangerous. Shit, Dean knew this wasn't the time, but when had his libido ever decided to behave, really?

She couldn’t hide the spring in her step as she left while Tessa mouthed an apology at the two men.

Dean quickly stalked into the room. “Okay, Sammy. Did you hit your head? Are you sick? Have you gone mentally _insane_? Because other than that, I can’t see a single fuckin' reason you’d let her out.”

Castiel hesitated when he walked in, and was taken aback when he saw Gabriel sending him glares.

Very _intense_ glares.

More than a little uncomfortable, and making a note to address his own brother later, he walked up to Dean’s side.

Sam began with, “There’s a lot I gotta tell you, Dean. And the first of it is that Ruby’s not the enemy. She made a mistake, but she’s really on our side-”

“You believe this?!” Dean demanded to Gabriel, not trusting his brother at all, since he was clearly brainwashed.

“Yep. What he’s saying is true, and he’ll be sure to explain it all in detail. We’ll let you have a heart-to-heart, because I happen to need a few words with _my_ bro, as well.” Gabriel hopped off the table he was perched on and beckoned Cas to follow behind.

Cas didn’t want to, though.

He wanted to be there for Dean, he wanted answers just as badly.

But the look on Sam’s face, a wordless plea, told him this was something that had to be done in private.

“Find me later, Dean,” was the last thing Cas said before he left, following his brother.

“Wanna sit down?” Sam asked, as he gestured to the seat across from him.

Dean was giving him cold, wary looks but took the chair, regardless.

“Okay, so... I guess we’ll start from the top?”

His glare didn’t waver but he shrugged his shoulders.

“So, get this-”

\-----------

The hand wrapped around Cas’ bicep was steal-gripped and yanked him off his feet and into a dark room. The door slammed and when the lights flicked on, he was staring down a very _livid_ Gabriel.

This was a glare filled with the power and the fury of a former archangel and Castiel had _never_ been on the receiving end. Before he could ask any questions, or say a word to explain anything, Gabriel cut him off in a hissed whisper.

“ _Really_ , Cassie? Fucking the Righteous Man? Was this part of your plan to use him, to make sure he was on our side, to have your little weapon locked and loaded? This is going too far. I understand the puppy love bullshit you had going on, but I thought you were _smarter_ than this. What the fuck, did you think it‘d be easier to fill him with your jizz than your blood to get him powered up?”

“Gabriel it’s not like th-”

“Looks like that’s _exactly_ what it is. Yeah, I get it, you’ve been a good leader and you’ve been doing a damn good job at keeping this place running and safe, but this is where I draw the line. It doesn’t matter if you’re using him, or you really _do_ give a shit and are now, Dad help us all _,_ falling in love with him. One way, you’re a heartless bastard, and the other way, you’re weak and now have a weak spot. Neither of these things are good, let me tell you. I’ve seen many leaders fall _because_ of stupid choices like that and we don’t need this. Not now! You've been putting shit off, and _I've_ been the one to pick up your slack because you've been so fucking blind lately!”

“Please, just listen-”

“No. He needs to know the plan. He needs to know this prophesy you’ve been keeping from him since day one. And Sam's gotta be the one to do it for you. Because you‘re a fucking chicken. So, good job, there. See where this little ‘relationship’ goes when shit hits the fan.” He stabbed a pointed finger into Castiel’s chest and his voice didn’t let up for even a moment, “You’re playing with fire. And it’s not about the burn, it’s about fucking up what's left of the _whole_ damn _world_.”

There was nothing Cas could say, he was caught off guard and never considered these consequences. He couldn’t have. Not until Gabriel spelled it out like this and now it didn’t look good.

He was speechless and a bitter dread coiled in the pit of his stomach.

"After you get your head out of your ass," Gabriel gave him one last look before turning his back and muttering, “Good luck, bro,” before he stormed back out.

\------

Meg heard the commotion from her and Anna’s room. Well, _two_ different commotions and she desperately wanted to turn them off. Shut them the fuck up. Charlie had brought Anna back to her, in a heap of a mess, looking like death and haphazardly stitched back together. It made her sick, hearing Charlie explain what had happened when she rushed Anna into the room, claiming all sorts of shit was going on right now and Anna wasn't even that high on the priority list. Meg had to think logically and not allow her demon instincts to selfishly lash out, so she just smiled snidely and said she'd take care of it. And she _would_ take care of it, but she wished it hadn't gotten to this point in the first place. She kind of saw it coming, but usually when she deteriorated there was more of a warning.

Anna normally didn’t go straight to attempting murder, ripping her own limbs off and then falling catatonic.

Meg ran a hand through the length of red hair and stared with fondness at what looked to be a pleasant slumber.

She was ready to change bandages.

She was ready for when Anna woke up.

She was ready for anything, dammit.

“Oh, angel, what have you gotten yourself into this time,” Meg leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead and waited.

There wasn’t much else to do, and she would wait as long as she had to for Anna. Hopefully the background bullshit would quiet down sooner, rather than later.

\--------------

Gabriel came back with Charlie in tow, halfway through the story. Dean’s mouth was agape and Sam was speaking faster than an auctioneer. Maybe he thought the quicker he got it out, the less problems he’d have with trying to convince Dean it was the truth?

Yeah, fat fucking chance.

“So! What part are you at?” Gabe tried to sit down on Sam’s lap only to be aggressively pushed off, “Oh, I see _someone’s_ got his serious pants on.”

“Shut up, Gabe!” Charlie smacked him hard in the arm.

“Domestic violence, all the way around! So, anyway, where are we?”

“Explaining how we complete the prophesy.” Sam answered, and Dean was still silent. “So, basically everything works in threes. Three planes: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory. Three teams. Three players on the three teams. It's all about the checks and balances.”

“In each team, there’s a rep from each plane, whether it’s figuratively or literally,” Gabe tried to take some of the pressure off Sam for a bit, since he‘d been on his own for a while now. Give the kid some time to breath. “Take the Trilogy for example - Lucifer was an angel, no matter _how_ fallen, and reps Heaven. Abaddon is a Knight of Hell _from_  Hell, and Crowley munched on the souls of Purgatory. And they’re all pure _evil_.”

“And then think old-school D&D,” Charlie added for clarification, “Lucifer being chaotic evil, Abaddon lawful evil, and Crowley neutral evil.”

“Moving on to group deux, which we already know we messed up a _little_ ,” Gabe rolled his eyes, “Complete  _other_ end of the spectrum. You, Meg and Cassie. You’re the good guys. Obviously, Cas is Heaven’s rep, Meg is Hell’s. And _you_ , Dean, are the party right smack dab in the middle - more _figurative_  Purgatory than a _literal_  Purgatory, being a human and all. Hench, the Righteous Man, on the good team.”

“Cas, lawful good, Meg chaotic good, and you’re neutral good,” Charlie finished for him, hoping Dean was keeping up.

“And then, the last piece of the puzzle.” Gabe jeered his finger towards Sam, “This is where it gets _messy_. In the indifferent territory. This is where it swings either way.”

“Ruby is from Hell, obvi, and a psycho bitch - but she does have _good_ intentions. Just as much as she has bad,” Charlie looked over to the door as if the woman in question would appear at any minute.

“And _I_ used to be an Archangel, so I was born into Heaven. Then I thought that was lame shit, and changed the gig to a Trickster, killed some people, blah blah blah. So in the books, I’m equal parts good and bad,” Gabriel supplied, winking at Dean who responded with a twitch and then a stone cold face.

“And, Dean-” Sam began a little hesitantly, “I’m not gonna lie. I _knew_ I had this darkness inside me, Ruby fed it. I...started drinking demon blood even though I _knew_ it was bad... but I thought it was going to make me _stronger_ and I’d be able to _protect_ our family. I thought I was doing it for the right reasons, you know? B-but now that I know there's a _bigger_  plan, and that if we join the good guys, we can make the difference. That’s all I want. All of this was meant to happen.”

“And there you have it!” Gabe gave a thumbs up, “We’ve got the big, bad Trilogy. The good guys are team Trinity, as it says in the prophesy. And... well, the neutral party’s team name was something weird in Latin I couldn’t give a fuck about. So I’ve renamed us the Threesome.”

“Gabe!” Sam snapped with embarrassment.

“Sorry, Archangel here, executive decision.” He blew him a kiss, and looked around the room, “So, class, any questions?”

Complete silence met him.

Dean stood up and left the room.

No one tried to stop him, they just looked around between one another and shrugged.

It was out of their hands now.

They had done their part. All the secrets were out in the open.

Gabriel stood up, and patted Sam on the back, “You did good, kid. He’ll come around, he’s much stronger than everyone gives him credit for.”

“We know.” Charlie looked sympathetically at Sam, “He just needs time to cool off. If there’s one thing I know about Dean since meeting him, he _is_ good. And he’s resilient. And once we, ya know, get through the gross blood thing, we’re gonna seriously kick some Trilogy ass! The whole thing hinges on where the neutral party swings and we've got you guys.”

Sam nodded and was silent a bit longer.

But then he made a face, and shot a glare at Gabriel, “Threesome? _Really_?”

“I think it has a nice ring to it,” he licked his lips shamelessly, and finished with, “All righty, let’s go find Ruby so you can make sure our third wheel is all right.”

\----------

Ruby sashayed around the town, finally being allowed to leave that godforsaken prison was doing wonders for her. She didn’t even give a shit about her chaperon, Tessa was cute company. They _needed_ her, and not just for blood, for her magic. She couldn’t help out as a witch while tied to a chair, after all.

She never thought she’d be aiding in saving Dean Winchester, rather than her original intention of murdering him in cold blood.

It was a hard thought to get away from, after so much rage, resentment and homicidal feelings.

It would be so _easy_ to just ‘oopsie’ on a spell component and watch him vaporize from existence.

As happy as that fantasy made her, it was nothing compared to how devastated Sam would be... and she wasn’t going to let that happen. The kid had been through enough, and for some dumb reason, she felt the urge to protect him.

That was something brand-spanking new to her, and couldn‘t imagine doing anything _but_.

Not to mention, without that little waste of space of a Righteous Man, they had no chance of winning against the Trilogy.

And she hated the Trilogy more than anything.

So, she justified it as a means to an end.

The odds of six against three were looking good, even if there was still a long way to go to get them in fighting shape.

\-----------

Cas was getting ready for bed when Dean finally came rushing into the room like a tornado. He dropped what he was doing, which happened to be putting on a shirt, when he saw the look on Dean’s face.

“What’s the-”

“You can shut the fuck up right now,” Dean stabbed him with his finger square in the chest, “It woulda been a million times better if you had dropped all the fucking secrets on me at the same time the angels came up. But _no_. You fucking kept it to yourself about this Righteous Man shit, the blood spells, the Trilogy, Trinity and whatever the fuck Sammy, Gabe and Ruby are. Here I thought I was fuckin’ dying with all this blood spewing, and it turns out you had a nice little ’my bad,’ misreading of the instructions, and now I need to be bled dry to fix shit?”

“Dean, I-”

“I’m _not_ fucking _done_!” He couldn’t contain the rage and shoved Cas back to the bed with both hands. “Thought I was too weak? Too weak to handle this? Well, thanks a fucking ton for your vote of confidence. It was a coward move to make Sam do it, because you knew I wouldn’t punch his lights out, like I’d probably do to anyone else, including you.”

He was growling, infuriated like an feral animal who’d been released from his cage.

Cas tried to push himself up to his elbows, but was stopped by the deadly look in Dean’s eyes.

“I didn’t know about half of these things, Dean - Gabriel-”

Dean wouldn’t let him get a word in, “But you did know about the other half! That’s the whole point, Cas! You lied to me and now everything’s clicking. You only wanted me around because I was the ‘Righteous Man’ or whatever shit that is, you played me and thought you could win this game. It’s all fucked up, and because you didn’t tell me sooner, we’ve gotta hop on this blood-fixing shit and save the world. Cool.”

Completely at a loss, and knowing there wasn’t a way to calm him down, Cas just watched him helplessly.

Dean wasn’t done yet.

“I’ll do anything I can to save what little we have left. I’ll even let my brother shack up with a demon bitch if it means we even have a fighting chance. Tomorrow’s gonna be hell, but I’m going to do it,” Dean grabbed a handful of Cas’ hair from where he was looming over him. “But before I get tore up all over again, I’m gonna fuck the shit out of you.”

Cas’ eyes widened, as Dean’s mouth crushed his in equal amounts pleasure and pain.

“I wish I didn’t love you-“ he drew back only a breath away from Cas, his voice dropping low. “And that’s the bitch of it all. I wish I could cut you out, be pissed off enough to get rid of you from my life, but I _can’t_ , you fuckin’ asshole. We’re gonna have rough, angry sex, I’m gonna work out all my ‘feelings’ on you and if it’s good enough, we’ll try make-up sex. I ain’t making any promises, but-” he exhaled a shaky breath.

Castiel’s mouth was dry, “Whatever you want, Dean. _Anything_ you want.”  
  
Dean wasn’t asking for permission, but in the back of his mind he felt better knowing Cas was on board.

Back in the part of his brain that wasn’t infuriated, that is.

He fisted his hair and kissed him for all he was worth. It was a clash of teeth, tongues and lips, and not before long the salty tang of blood hit his taste buds. It didn’t slow either of them down.

Castiel’s heart was pounding in his chest, the completely brutal ferocity was something he'd never witnessed in Dean before. As much as he was alarmed, he was undoubtedly, ridiculously and _completely_ aroused by it.

From his position on top, Dean didn’t waste any time pulling his pants off with a force that should have ripped them in half. He wished he could tear Cas’ shirt into pieces, but it was long forgotten on the floor, where he’d dropped it at the beginning of Dean’s tirade.

There was biting, bruising, and before long, both were completely stripped of clothes. Cas fought to catch his breath as Dean made him come undone. A fumbling hand grabbed Castiel’s wrist and pulled until it was between Dean’s legs.

“Fuck me with your fingers, Cas, or so help me, I’ll do it myself.”

He didn’t want to hurt him, but the demanding drawl left no room for argument. He knew Dean wouldn’t give him a chance to get the oil, but he did manage to swipe the dripping precum from the head of Dean’s leaking cock and _hoped_ it was enough.

At least Dean was just as turned on as he was.

He welcomed the pain, as Cas shoved a finger inside him, and arched back into the touch greedily. He rushed him with words and his wanton body language, because this _still wasn’t enough_.

He needed more.

He needed to feel alive, and get the onslaught of emotions of out his system the best way he knew how.

Dean pulled away from him after Cas barely managed to get three fingers into him and sank back on the bed to wrap his mouth around Castiel’s dick.

The was nothing sensual about it, and Cas could feel the barest brush of teeth as Dean sucked him down.

The goal was to get him wet, to _use_ him, not pleasure him.

Cas found that out the hard way, when he was pushed backwards brutally, a hand wrapped around his throat as Dean climbed on top of him.

There was no warning, no questions of _‘is this okay’_ or _‘tell me what you want, baby.’_

It was Dean lining Cas’ cock up to his hole and getting him as far inside as he could.

It was painful, sure, but the sting was absolutely what Dean hungered for in that moment. He didn’t even take the time to catch his breath or see if Cas was all right before grinding on him.

It just wasn’t enough, no matter how hard he slammed down against Cas’ hips, he couldn’t get deep enough. There was an insanity itching under his skin and maybe he, himself, wasn't even sure what it was he was searching for. But it was maddening, and he kept pushing forward, pushing his and Cas' limits to the breaking point to find what it was he needed.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying the view and seeing how much he was driving Cas crazy.

His reddened lips, flushed skin, hickeys starting to blossom - it was all too much.

That fucker was still looking up at him with his eyes wide in wonderment and ecstasy.

He couldn’t deal with it right now.

Yeah, the way Cas thrust up to meet him every time he slammed down was fucking perfect-

-if it had been _before_ this mess.

The burn of his muscles and the rising pleasure low in his belly where both of them could come holding each other _would’ve_ been nice, too.

But now _wasn’t_ the time.

Dean couldn’t deal with that adoration in Cas' eyes. Not after feeling so completely betrayed.

He pulled off quickly, not being able to keep his resolve while looking at him, but didn't miss the wince on Cas' face. Dean quickly ordered, “Fuck me from behind. _Now_.”

This way he didn’t have to watch him.

He could focus on the feeling of their bodies coming together, rough and dirty.

 _Finally_ , good God, _finally_ , Castiel got with the program. He gave Dean what he was begging for.

Cas grabbed him by the back of his bruised neck and shoved him into the mattress without hesitation.

The other hand was clutching his hip steady, when he took him with a single jerk of his hips. He started thrusting in, no longer held down by restraints or hesitation.

The fire in Cas was back, timidness long forgotten and caution thrown to the wind. He didn’t think twice about pounding into Dean’s ass and fucking him for all he was worth. Maybe Cas had hit his breaking point too. Maybe this was all he knew he could give, and fuck, if he wasn't going to give it.

Cas twisted his grip from Dean’s neck, to the hair at his nape. He wrenched his head up far enough to hear his moans at full volume, where they were no longer muffled by the mattress.

The harsh strokes of skin slapping against skin filled the otherwise silent bedroom. With each demanding plunge, Cas knew he was getting closer.

He reached in front to grab Dean’s dick and began stroking him as fast as his frantic thrusts.

Dean was raw and worn out, and right on the brink before Cas touched him -

\- and then it was all over.

He bucked back when he felt himself being pushed over the edge, needing those last few seconds of near-painful friction from Cas.

Cas choked down a whimper by draping his body over Dean’s and biting into the meat of his shoulder.

The tightening and spasms of Dean’s body through his orgasm sent Cas spiraling. He came harder than he ever had, buried deep inside Dean’s ass.

Cas couldn’t move from where he was covering the entire expanse of Dean’s back, soaking in the warmth.

Castiel noticed the teeth marks and, when he became a little more coherent, began placing small kisses over all the bruises and blemishes he’d created on his lover’s skin. He wasn't sure if it was an apology, or touching him just for the sake of touching while he was still able to.

They completely collapsed and even after the intensity and lingering emotions, Dean found himself wrapped in Castiel’s arms. He actually welcomed it.

The only noise in the room was the sound of their rough breathing, Cas still afraid to say anything. After all, what could he say? The ball was in Dean’s court now.

He could deal with the silence.

Take the brunt of the anger, if that’s what Dean wanted.

He wanted to give him anything he could. He wanted to give him _everything_.

Thankfully, after what seemed like hours, Dean finally spoke.

“I’m all right with it. The saving the world thing. I’ll do whatever I have to do. But there is one thing I gotta ask when the cleansing shit is going down.”

“Yes, Dean,” he was cautious with his answer.

“I don’t want you there.” His words were final, leaving no room for argument, “I know I’ve gotta get a refill with your blood, or whatever, but I don’t want you to see it. Not until it’s over and I need it.”

Castiel shook his head, “I need to be there for you, I need to make sure you’re-”

“No, Cas. It’s me that’s gotta go through this, and I need to do it _alone_. I’ll be fine, but you being there, seeing what happens is gonna make it not fine, okay? I need to do this without you.”

He didn’t know what to say.

He wanted to fight, to change Dean’s mind, but he knew he couldn’t.

He owed him that much.

After all the hiding, all the half-truths and half-lies, and all the things he put Dean through he owed him _more_ than that.

“As you wish.” The words tasted bitter in his mouth, but they came out all the same.

Dean sighed in relief.

So Cas wrapped him tighter in his arms.

“I’ll let you do this on your own. Because I trust you and I hope you‘ll be able to trust me again, too,” he kissed Dean on the forehead before whispering, “I love you.”

“Love you too, dick,” Dean chuckled, darkly, “Long live the fuckin’ Trinity.”


	15. Mortality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Charlie sighed and looked at the set of tools on the table. “So... There are a lot of ways to go about this. Want safe, hospital grade blood-spillage? Or the good ol messy kind?"_
> 
> _“Let’s go hard, Char.”_
> 
> _“Start the sedatives,” she nodded at Garth, “Once you’re good and mellow, the incisions won’t hurt. But, when we ween you off, it’s gonna suck balls.”_
> 
> _Within moments, Dean felt his head go fuzzy, and while he wasn’t totally out, he sure as hell wasn’t feeling any pain. He giggled to himself, “Eh, nothing I haven‘t done before.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

He hesitated at the door, he knew once he went inside there was no going back. This was something more than ‘a little situation’ to deal with.

To him, if he thought about it with the gravity it held, it was something... _indescribable_ \- something he had never thought possible.

Dean hadn’t slept much the night before. Even if his body was thoroughly spent, his mind was running a mile a minute and there was no escaping it. No amount of physical exhaustion could stop his thoughts, even though he gave it a damn good effort. Yep. A  _damn_ good effort.

Dean wasn’t afraid to die.

He was afraid to let other people down.

What if shit went wrong? It wasn’t something that just affected him anymore, it affected the whole damn world - that was what he had realized in the wee hours of the morning.

He had stared at where Cas slept beside him and even if he was still pissed... He didn’t want to let _him_ down, specifically. Dean could tell he wasn't in the most comfortable deep sleep, by the scrunch of his face every so often.  But, hell, if he wasn't still beautiful anyway. His skin finally calmed from the fever-like pink to its normal tan, soon after he passed out. Neither had bothered pulling clothes on and Dean didn't mind having something nice to look at while he couldn't sleep. He wasn't mad how low the blanket was bunched up on Cas' hip bones, exposing a vast surface of skin. Dean wanted to reach out and trace his fingers along every single one of those scars.

Which was another reason he didn't want to let him down - it was Cas who had been through so much.

Who had given everyone so much - the people of the Underground, the people above who didn’t have a hope in the world. 

This was their shot, and hell if Dean wasn’t going to fight tooth and nail to give it to them.

Even though this was only the first step.

And it was going to _suck_.

Sam was standing beside him and gave him an encouraging smile as they opened the door.

Everyone was running around like they were inside a mad house. Even though they had planned it all out there were still last-minute preparations and there was no time to waste. It was funny - Dean saw these people as his friends, as his drinking buddies, and never really gave them the credit they deserved. They were something special. Each and every one of them. The fact that they'd put this whole shebang of something that sound be impossible together was proof of that.

Charlie and Garth were setting up equipment, mostly medical instruments and some types of devices Dean had never seen before. His best guess was that they were some Charlie-copyrighted items he hoped were actually for the procedure and not her own personal enjoyment. Like a goddamn homemade game-boy if she got bored.

Gabriel and Tessa were looking through a spell book and setting out the needed ingredients on a spare table.

And fucking Ruby, who against Dean’s better judgment and every bone in his fucking body, was drawing a circle with scribbles he didn’t recognize on the ground. Sam saw his hesitation and whispered to him that it would all be all right.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jo wheel in a gurney and waited until she had affirmation when Ruby was done doodling to move it into the circle. Jo smirked and wiped some white chalk dust from Ruby's face when the woman stood up. It earned an eye roll and a small laugh. Dean cursed Jo for being a fucking _traitor_ and actually getting along with the psycho.

In the midst of all the hustle, no one addressed him, they simply gave him small smiles and the sickening look of sympathy.

As Dean was heaving in a deep breath, about to make some joke to lighten the mood, he heard the deep rumble of a voice behind him. It was unmistakably Cas, but he was addressing Ellen and Meg.

A small flare of anger rose in Dean's stomach as he turned his back to the chaotic mess in the room and narrowed his eyes to the man behind him.

“I thought I told you not to come.”

Cas froze what he was doing and three pairs of eyes looked at him.

“Relax, Dean.” Ellen looked rather exhausted herself. Even though the energy in the room was buzzing, it was probable that no one had probably gotten enough sleep the night before, and the bags under her eyes were heavy. “While you’re getting your... _thing_ done, Garth explained to Jo and I how to draw blood from your counterparts. We’ll be doing it in another room, and I was just explaining what was going on to Castiel, here.”

“I’ll keep my promise.” Cas’ voice was timid and he wouldn’t even look Dean in the eyes.

He couldn’t deal with this whipped puppy look and groaned, “Okay, Cas, let’s chat for a second. Once all this shit is set up, you come and get me, Ellen. All right? We’re just gonna be in the hall.”

“Take your time,” Meg sneered, looking over the needles and tubes on the table, “It’s not like it’s the end of the world or anything.”

“And you can go fuck yourself,” Dean snatched up Castiel’s hand and pulled him away.

Once they were alone outside the vicinity and away from prying eyes, Dean mumbled, “I don’t get why you even like her.”

“I admit, she can be difficult to work with but she’s very good in combat and a loyal-”

“Rhetorical, Cas. Rhetorical.” Dean grabbed the man’s chin and physically forced him to look up and make eye contact. “Hey. We’re fine, okay? Stop stressing out. I know this is heavy shit, but it’ll all be over soon. And after we’re both anemic and recovering, we can just shack up and cuddle or whatever the fuck will make you feel better 'til we’re in fighting shape.”

Cas couldn’t shove down the feelings that is was just to appease him in case something went wrong.

“You’re really not upset?”

“I would say it if I was. You know I don’t bullshit. Never have, never will. Now we need to chill out on this sappy shit, because I’m trying to be all heroic and save the day. Can’t have you turning me into a pansy now.” Dean patted him on the side of the face, trying to look haughty but failing - in Cas’ opinion

“I have no doubt you’ll be fine, I have nothing but confidence in our team. I only wish you didn’t have to go through this at all,” Cas covered Dean’s hand with his own and pulled their bodies together in a strangely platonic hug. Like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to do so.

Dean wrapped his arms around him but cleared his throat in an awkward way in an attempt to get Cas with the program. Finally, Castiel took a chance and sunk into the embrace, kissing Dean tenderly on the neck. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”

“Hope you’re not afraid of needles, dude,” Dean teased, “Maybe we can even get them to sneak a little bit of vodka in our orange juice. That’s what they do after you give blood, right? Orange juice? Then we'll turn 'em into screwdrivers and turn it into a party.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Cas wasn’t letting up on his grip at all, he didn’t want to let Dean go. "Although, I don't understand what hardware has to do with-"

“Guys?” Jo’s soft voice interrupted them from behind. “We’re ready whenever you are.” Then she abruptly turned back into the room.

They hesitantly pulled away, Cas resumed cupping Dean’s face before he had to leave.

“I love you. I’ll see you soon,” his crooked smile was almost comforting.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean pressed a single kiss to his lips. “I love you too. See ya on the flip side.”

At least Cas’ confused face was much better than the one he’d come into the hall with. Their gaze lingered as long as time could afford, and then with a deep breath and a slight nod, Dean walked into the room.

\---------

Charlie shut the door behind him, and lead him over to the gurney. “I know it’s not the most comfortable thing to chill on with this procedure taking a while, but it’s the best way we can monitor you and make sure everything goes all right. Much easier to maneuver around than a bed and the clean up will be easier?” She attempted a joke that fell flat. “We can start with pain meds and stuff, but we need you coherent as you can be towards the end, more...well,  _mostly_ alert. You need to be able to hear us and know what’s happening.”

Garth began placing sticky circles and wiring all over his body once he laid back. He pasted on his clinical face rather than his normal carefree, goofy one. “We’ll insert the IV with the sedatives and once all goes well, slap on the blood bags and pump you full again.”

“Once you get shaky, I’ll start with a spell to keep you in your body for as long as we can before it starts shutting down.” Gabriel crossed his arms and looked at Tessa, “Fact of the matter is - you’re bound to die at some point. But I’ll keep your body nice and fresh for your return, mmk?”

“Ruby is going to create a barrier around you, a cage of sorts, to keep your soul inside so you don't succumb to the void. Then I’ll be able to guide you back to your body when the time is right.” Tessa placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder, “You don’t have to worry about a thing, just stay strong.”

“That’s something I can do,” Dean couldn’t even come up with a good punch line.

He watched Garth magically and somehow painlessly stick the needle into his arm.

“We’ll have the blood ready once you’re drained. We’ll have to get enough back into circulation so your heart isn’t working with nothing. And that’s when Tessa will guide you back, but you'll be out for a while.” Charlie sighed and looked at the set of tools on the table. “So...there are a lot of ways to go about this. Want safe, hospital grade blood-spillage? Or the good ol' messy kind? If you choose the badass method, Ruby could even heal your wounds.”

“You’re not gonna be a bitch if I wanna go out a badass, right?” Dean quipped at the brunette over his shoulder, “You’re gonna play nice for Sammy?”

“Depends on your definition of ‘nice,’” she hummed out, “But if you mean, making sure you live to see another day? Sure, why not. No skin off my back.”

“Let’s go hard, Char.”

“Start the sedatives,” she nodded at Garth, “Once you’re good and mellow the incisions won’t hurt. But when we ween you off, it’s gonna suck balls.”

Within moments, Dean felt his head go fuzzy and while he wasn’t totally out, he sure as hell wasn’t feeling any pain. He giggled to himself, “Eh, nothing I haven‘t done before.”

\-------

Meg was getting driven insane by Castiel’s bouncing leg, his random huffs and his deadly glare being sent out into space with nothing to focus on.

“Don’t look so constipated, Clarence,” she mumbled, watching yet another bag fill up with her blood. She was beginning to feel dizzy herself. “Your boyfriend will be fine.”

“Now’s not the time for your smarmy ass, Meg,” Ellen leveled her with her own glare.

The demon shut her mouth. No matter what you were, how powerful or evil, you did _not_ mess with that woman.

She had witnessed that lesson learned the hard way too many times and she avoided being on the receiving end like the plague.

Cas could hear the muffled voices from the other room and tried to make out what they were saying, but it didn’t work.

Jo had been holding his hand in-between breaks and blood bags to anchor him. Not that he needed it. But then again, she was probably doing it just as much for herself. Her and Castiel had never been close, but their feelings for Dean and their worry had brought them together more than ever before.

Tragedy bringing people together, and whatnot.

Their eyes kept locking together, giving each other affirmations everything was going to be all right when the other faltered. This had been going on for what seemed like days.

How long did a person even take to bleed out?

Castiel had slit enough throats to know that death was quick, but he’d never watched anything done this way.

It was a contained, _intentional_ death.

And everything had to go correctly to ensure of the end result.

Every drop of Gabriel’s blood had to leave him.

He needed to be born again, in a sense, and hopefully the rebirth would bring him back to the Dean he was before.

Another worry in the back of Cas' mind was how Dean would handle the power. He had experienced how power effected people first hand, and through stories about how _Sam_ had changed...and it concerned him.

He wanted the Dean he knew and loved back, not a hair out of place. Would that be too much to ask?

In an instant, Cas found himself plastered to Jo’s shoulder and wondered how he got there.

Then he heard her voice ask frantically, “Mom, how much are we supposed to take? I thought the talismans were supposed to keep his blood regenerating?!”

Meg was looking droopy, but not as worse for wear as Castiel was. The demon blood running through her veins still packed a punch, but Castiel was completely and utterly human. They had done some simple spell work beforehand, knowing they couldn't exactly take half of his blood from his mortal body without repercussions. Somehow - it wasn't working. Someone in their haste must have forgotten to cross a symbol or some other idiotically simple, rushed mistake. How much could he give before he passed out? Before his own body shut down?

“Shit,” Ellen measured out their bounty and sighed, “Give him food, water, _anything_. That shit must be defective, something with the sigils. But Jo... we’re _not_ done yet. Not even close.”

“Cas, I’m sorry. Here, eat this.”

If they could correct the error, hopefully they could keep Cas and Meg afloat. But another transfusion from a donor among their other ranks was out of the question. They couldn’t risk running into another roadblock and somehow tainting the three.

Only problem was their 'magic tricks' were crowded around Dean in the other room _._

No one even considered _Meg_ and _Cas_ would have a problem: they were too focused on making sure _Dean_ was fixed.

“Meg, can you hear what’s going on in there? How much time do we have?” Ellen asked quickly.

“Looks like it’s getting to be go time,” Meg picked out, her hearing much better than the humans, “Or, end time, I guess.”

“Fuck, Jo, I’m going to get Bobby. He has to have some kind of idea about what to do. He’s always buried in those damned books.” Ellen made sure her daughter would allow her, and then rushed to find the man.

“Oo, what a predicament we have here.” Meg slurred out, watching her blood continue to pump even while Ellen left, “Who’da thunk we’d be at the mercy of a damn transfusion? Thought we’d die romantically in a blaze of glory on the battle field.”

Cas opened his mouth to snap something back, but his words and brain were just not communicating properly.

What he did manage to get out was, “Keep going. Save Dean.”

Jo looked terrified but nodded, hoping to God Bobby had something to help them.

They weren’t even _close_ to the amount they needed to save Dean.

\------------

“Huh.” Dean’s voice echoed through a dome-like enclosure as he looked down at his colorless body. “I’m a handsome motherfucker.”

“Apparently this hasn’t bothered you any,” Tessa teased as they both watched the others frantically rushing around.

They were checking his flat-lining pulse, flushing water though his system like they were embalming a fucking corpse to make sure they had drained all of it. It was a fucking mess, no one was worried about how sanitary they were being, no one was worried about the blood staining their clothes. It looked eerily like a murder scene, yet no one was batting an eye.

It was silent.

The barrier was muffling all the insanity outside, and left the inside strangely peaceful.

Tessa and Dean watched it all happen, because it was out of their hands. Gabriel would signal when it was time to bring him back, so their eyes were lingering on him. Waiting.

“Enjoy this while you can,” the woman used a hushed voice, not wanting to ruin the perfect calm. “The healing will be slow. It will hurt - psychically, mentally and spiritually from the strain of the process. But it will be worth it.”

“You must have been an awesome reaper. Back in the day,” he was good at small talk, small talk he could do. “You could pretty much convince me of anything.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

They continued to wait.

Tessa looked confused as the time passed by. She was trying to decipher what was going on through their movements.

She didn’t want to say anything to worry Dean but the time lag was...disconcerting.

“Shit.” She couldn’t stop the word from escaping her mouth. “Dean. Whatever you have to do, fight to hold on. I’ll be back.”

“Wait, what?! This wasn’t part of the plan?” He yelped, and with a fizzle of power, Tessa was gone.

He spun around in the circle wildly, trying to get a clue, _something_ , to find out what was happening.

Ruby continued her chanting to keep the barrier strong, but Dean went pale (if ghosts could even get pale) as Gabriel flew _out_ of the room.

They were already in the process of putting the new blood in his body, but when he squinted he noticed there wasn’t as much as they told him he needed to be brought back.

Something must have happened to Meg or Cas.

Cas _..._ _fuck_.

He recognized the look of fear on Gabriel’s face: it was the look that came with knowing a sibling was in danger.

Dean was starting to freak out. Something _had_ happened to Cas.

\-----------

Gabriel whipped around the corner to find Tessa staring blankly at a space of nothing on the wall.

Only... she was _talking_ to it.

Trying to explain and reason with it, and that’s when Gabe knew it was a soul. When he saw his brother slumped over in the chair, Jo, Ellen and Bobby desperately trying to revive him that he knew it was Castiel’s _._

“What the fucking hell is going on here?!” Gabriel demanded, running over to Cas’ side.

“I’m tryin’ to put together a healing spell because one'a you idjits screwed up the damn talisman and healin' spells are all I got! But before I could get it to happen he just keeled over,” Bobby was trying to stay calm under pressure and read through the words on the page. “Needed Tessa to grab his ass before he poofed away into nothing.”

“You do know Dean’s still in there?” Ellen snapped at her husband, “and you decided to leave him alon-”

“As long as the barrier holds he’s not going anyway. _Fuck_. You don’t even have enough blood yet! Tess, hold that little shit. We’re gonna heal him and go for round two. How did you chicks let him get this bad?!”

“Pardon me for not being a fucking certified nurse or Pagan God!” Jo screamed out, fueled by her raw emotions, “Help Bobby, we need to save them both.”

\---------

Dean was left alone for too long and he could see the edges of the dome start to crackle and Ruby run up to it. She was holding it with her palms, seeing the cracks and looking alarmed.

“Shitfuck,” she cursed on, “Dean, get to the other side, I’m coming in.”

He didn’t have a chance to think, he just moved.

Soon Ruby appeared on the inside, holding the dome up with both her arms as it threatened to cave in. She was shaking, her chanting becoming punched out and strained as it echoed off the sides of the slowly shattering barrier.

“Ruby? What’s going on?!” He demanded, but was starting to get even more stressed out by the moment.

“Tessa’s busy, we’re getting more juice, and you need to shut the fuck up so I can keep this thing and _your ass_ on this plain!”

Dean crouched down as she tried not to buckle from the weight. She was dripping with sweat and blood was starting to leak out her nose and her mouth as she pushed and pushed. Even in the small, petite vessel, Dean could feel the power radiating off her, but it was starting to siphon off - like the barrier was _sucking_ the life out of her. 

Was she strong enough?

Where was Tessa?

Was this the end?

Was Cas all right?

Dean was so tied up, he didn’t even notice when more bags of blood were rushed into the room and another additional needle was stuck in his comatose body to speed along the process.

Ruby wasn’t looking good. She looked like she was exploding from the pressure on the inside and before he could tell her to _just give up,_ Tessa appeared inches in front of him and placed two fingers on his forehead.

Before everything went black, he saw it all at once.

Ruby collapsing.

Gabriel running around, fingers angrily tugging at his hair.

Charlie and Garth huddled over his body, trying to help with some CPR bullshit.

And then it was over.

\-----

He was in an unfamiliar space.

The sun with streaming in, illuminating the shiny surfaces and clean table tops, but everything was in shades of grey.

It was nothing he recognized, nothing that looked remotely like -

Scratch that.

\- it looked like _before_.

Before Hell was on Earth, before everything had fallen apart.

It looked like a diner he’d remembered visiting along side his parents. It was the only place he’d order the spaghetti and meatballs over a burger.

Nice little Italian joint... when there was still an Italy to serve up their brand of dining.

Why the fuck was he there?

“Wondered when you were going to get around to ask that, rather than examining the decor.”

He spun around, catching sight of an aged man, calming sitting at a table while he twirled his fork through his own plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

“You’re in my _head_?”

“You’re in my _space_ , Dean. Of course I can read your mind.”

“Where’s Tessa? What’s going on?”

“Oh, Tessa,” he neatly cut a meatball in half before he raised it to his mouth, and chewed politely before speaking. “I wondered who had kept you away from me for so long.”

“Am I... dead? How am I still here, like, shouldn’t I just vaporize and not exist?” Dean was fumbling with words, and recoiled at the small smile on the man’s face.

He felt a chill run down his spine and even in his daze he felt the sheer power. Who the hell was this?!

“Yes, I am Death, but no - you’re dreaming. I only wished to meet you. There’s been rumors and a small shift in your universe. I wanted to see who was responsible. Since there is no longer a need for me to usher spirits from your world, it’s been quite a while since I’ve visited.” He wiped a stray smudge of marinara from his mouth, “I much preferred your world the way it was before. The food here is wonderful.”

Dean was somewhat speechless, but since the other man could read his thoughts it didn’t really matter.

“You’re onto something. You and your rag-tag team of misfits. I can see you pulling this off, and hope I don’t have to see you for a while. I’d say keep up the good work, but you’ve barely started.” He stood up and placed a hand on the handle of his cane. “I’m thoroughly bored with seeing the world ruled by those three idiots. Fix it soon, if you could.”

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Dean sneered, but then realized after a moment that sassing Death probably wasn’t the best idea.

He didn’t seem to be bothered in the least.

“Sleep well, Dean. You’re going to need it.”

Just as quickly as he’d arrived in the nostalgic memory, it fell away to black and he was back in a deep slumber.


	16. Field Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Sam was anxiously shuffling in his seat, “We need to move forward, who knows how long it’s gonna be before Dean and Castiel wake up. I’m not gonna lie, I feel like I’m gonna explode if I don’t do something.”_
> 
> _Ruby slung one arm around his shoulders, used her free hand to grab his face and pull his eyes toward hers. “I know, Sammy. You’re much stronger and you need a challenge, but I don’t want to get on anyone’s naughty list by dragging you above ground and get killed for my troubles.”_
> 
> _“I like being on the naughty list,” Gabriel stated as he chugged the last of his drink, and slammed it down on the table, “I hereby dub myself the vice president of the Underground, and while Cas is out, I’ll be in charge. And I say we take a field trip.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

“We need to go on some kind of trial run, make sure it worked or something. No targets to exorcise down here, unless you or Meg want to volunteer for the greater good,” Gabriel grumbled, leaning over to sip at some fruity concoction, filled to the brim with alcohol.

As soon as he noted Ruby’s disgusted face, he made a show of licking around the length of the straw seductively, and taking it into his mouth. He practically deep throated it, then bit the tip and pulled it away until the plastic was just skimming the top. Then, obviously, made the most obnoxious slurping sound he could have created.

The woman scoffed as an answer, “And _we’re_ on a team together? This has to be a fucking cosmic joke.”

“Nah, the cosmos don’t have a sense of humor,” Gabe tossed the straw of his drink aside and resorted to chugging the rest of it. After all, if he was around Ruby he needed to be at least slightly buzzed.

“I mean, it’s possible, right?” Sam was anxiously shuffling in his seat, “We need to move forward. Who knows how long it’s gonna be before Dean and Castiel wake up. I’m not gonna lie, I feel like I’m gonna explode if I don’t do something.”

Ruby slung one arm around his shoulders, used her free hand to grab his face and pull his eyes toward hers. “I know, Sammy. You’re much stronger and you need a challenge, but I don’t want to get on anyone’s naughty list by dragging you above ground and get killed for my troubles.”

“I like being on the naughty list,” Gabriel stated as he chugged the last of his drink and slammed it down on the table, “I hereby dub myself the Vice President of the Underground, and while Cas is out, I’ll be in charge. And I say we take a field trip.”

“You?” Sam raised an eyebrow, “You said you don’t go above ground.”

“Desperate times and all,” he pushed back in his seat and kicked his legs onto Sam’s lap. “Even if Ruby’s been gone for a while, she’s still an officer and can slip back in. Easy as pie. They’ve seen you two together, so it won’t rouse any suspicions. We’ll grab a couple poor saps, drag them to our contact’s place and see exactly what you’re capable of.”

“And you?” Ruby raised an eyebrow.

“Backup, eye candy, whatevs. I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve, if you catch my drift. Plus, I need to catch up with homeboy. He needs to know the score since we haven’t sent any word his way in a while,” the man shrugged and called over to Jo, “Hey! Resident bartender! Another drink, por favor.”

She peered around the corner, flashed him a middle finger but all the same headed for the bar.

“Besides,” Gabriel leaned in towards the two, “Balthy is probably worried sick about Cassie. Can’t keep him in the dark or he’ll be busting down our doors, demanding answers soon.”

“Balthy?” Sam questioned with his eyebrows scrunched together, “Is that your contact?”

“Balthazar?” Ruby echoed, a note of something acidic in her voice, “How the hell did you get an informant that deep into the system? He’s the same rank as me and he hasn’t been found out?”

“Sneaky little fuck, that one,” his smile was downright gleeful. “So I’m pretty sure with the two of you, there’s nothing we can’t do.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.” Sam's voice had dropped down to a wary whisper.

Jo slammed the drink to the table in front of Gabriel and had graciously brought Ruby and Sam drinks of their own.

“Thanks, girl. You would've made a great waitress in another life,” Ruby winked and Jo hardly managed to contain her annoyance, “Sexy as hell, too.”

“What can I say, I’m accommodating,” she grabbed Gabe’s shoulder with an iron grip and decided to ignore the rest of Ruby’s comment, “What the hell are you guys talking about?”

“Field trip,” his eyes lit up with glee. “Wanna know and handle damage control if the love-birds wake up while we’re gone?”

“Ugh.” She begrudgingly took a seat, “No, I don’t _want_ to. But the suspense will kill me and I’m nosy so I _will_. Fill me in on what you Threesome idiots are up to.”

Sam buried his face in his hands and muttered, “Why the fuck is that sticking. I hate you, Gabe.”

  
\-------------

  
Meg was a walking blood bag, so when she insisted she accompany them on their mission she was shot down immediately. Anna was in no shape to go, only having just regained full consciousness, and Jo had already said she would handle Cas and Dean. If the two men put up a fight, Jo could put them in their place. She was the best bet to explain the situation calmly and firmly. Or with threats. Either one worked. If it had been Charlie, she would have flounced around and given Dean and Cas whatever they wanted. She had such a damn soft spot for them.

What Charlie didn’t have, however, was a soft spot on the field.

Which was why she was the fourth person on the team to head top side.

They made it a rule to pair up in even numbers so no one was ever alone and without help. Besides, Charlie was one of the only ones besides Cas who could even _remotely_ put up with Balthazar and they needed a buffer when it came to his...personality.

She was stronger than she looked, sharp as a tack, and was also in desperate need of a distraction to get away from the constant worry of when, or whether or not, two thirds of the Trinity were going to wake up.

Every one of them, in fact, was grateful for a distraction.

Ruby was scrubbing the blood from her traveling clothes: the ones she had worn down to the Underground in the assassination attempt against Dean. What could she say, those pants really made her ass look good and she took care of her belongings. Plus, she needed to blend in above ground, and it would be suspicious if she showed up in some of the filth those in the Underground wore. Or one of Sam's shirts.

So Ruby was very happy and content to wash what was hers.

Everyone else was scrambling for something safe for travel that would even _fit_ Sam.

And it was proving difficult.

Gabriel was the only one who had the guts to head into the room piled high with dead bodies to dig and find someone about the same build as Sam. Even though it was not a pretty sight.

Finally, he skipped out with two options and dropped them in the tub where Ruby was washing her own clothes.

Her nose wrinkled up in disgust as she caught a whiff of the scent, “Jesus, there wasn’t some fucking febreeze or something you could've started with?”

“That’s what you’re here for, kitten.” He knelt next to her, pointing at the sets, “I was going for a fabulous new makeover wardrobe for Sammy.”

“What does that mean,” but she knew as soon as she pulled one of the jackets from the soapy water, “Sick. Does this have rotting flesh on it?”

“Yeah, I picked most of it off, but I guess month-old-corpse hangs on like a ketchup stain,” Gabe said with a wink, “Anyway, do you think that’d work? He’d be able to pass for a Trilogy officer if he puts that baby on?”

Ruby looked thoughtful for a second before she shrugged, “We can always try it. He may blend in more wearing this. Since civilians are in such short supply.”

Gabriel nodded, “Sounds good. And if anyone raises a fuss we just slit their throats.”

“I think I like you,” Ruby mused, and slapped her hand against Gabe’s in a high-five. “This might just work.”

\-----------

  
Charlie was as calm as she could be as she packed her things. She really, really needed to get away. Her routine these days was walking back and forth between Dean and Cas’ room to see if either of them stirred and it wasn't healthy.

She nearly had a heart attack and flipped her shit the one time Dean grunted, but then quickly realized he was just in a dream.

They had been put in different rooms so they could be focused and tended to separately. While Garth looked after both, Ellen kept an eye on Dean and Jo kept an eye on Cas. They were trying to be clinical about it and give their complete attention to each individually. Charlie was so goddamn invested in both, which was why she was pacing between each of the men almost obsessively. After all, _both_ of them being comatose was something they most definitely hadn't prepared for during the blood-spell-near-disaster thing.

That 'disaster' put everyone in a different place and none of them were pretty.

Half the team was completely down for the count the initial week.

Meg was the first to get over the shock from lack of blood and hesitantly started donating more to the cause, hoping it would help Dean wake up sooner.

Ruby took a while longer to heal - the internal bleeding and trauma to her body from the stress of the dome going terribly wrong did a number on her.

Cas and Dean were unresponsive and hooked up to wires and monitors still.

Jo had been on a bender following the procedure and Gabriel became her new BFF drinking buddy. They had to nurse their hangovers for days just to pick up drinking right after the nausea went away. Rinse and repeat.

So the first week it was up to Charlie and Garth with the help of Ellen and to quote Bobby, “Put all them idjits back together.”

Needless to say, this was a breath of fresh air. Even if there was the looming threat of death above ground, anything would count as a break at this point. Charlie felt completely burned out.

There was a knock on her door and she looked over to see familiar blonde hair paired with a concerned expression.

“Heya, Jo. You ready to take over nanny duties full time?” Charlie asked the girl, grabbing a few weapons from a drawer to pack with her things.

“Here, you might want this too,” Jo pulled a knife from where it was holstered at her hip.

The redhead’s eyes widened, “I can’t take this, it’s your lucky one, right?”

“Yeah,” Jo walked closer to her, handing it to her, hilt first. “But I’ve got something else for good luck.”

Charlie looked like a deer in headlights as the other leaned forward and placed a single kiss to her lips.

When the brown eyes fluttered back open, there was a satisfied smirk on her face. “Take the knife and take care of yourself, all right?”

“Uh...” Charlie said intelligently. “That was rude. Now I’m gonna be thinking about _you_ the whole time I’m cutting down baddies!”

“I’ll be thinking about you, too,” she clapped a hand lightly and encouragingly against Charlie’s cheek. “There will be more where that came from  _when_ you get back.”

When Jo left, Charlie couldn’t help but congratulate herself with a fist pump to the air. She always prided herself on getting the girl. She could play at the knight in shining armor, hell yeah.

\--------

They made it out of the Underground easily enough. Only Sam and Ruby were unfamiliar with the path, but the demon and powered-up human had no trouble at all keeping up with Gabriel's directions. The walk across the desert was when the stress started building in Charlie and Gabriel, but Sam felt something else.

He felt _excitement_.

He couldn’t wait for the challenge and the danger. He felt unstoppable. No one knew if that was a good thing or a bad thing, because the huge grin on Sam’s face seemed out of place in response to the impending risks.

Ruby seemed to encourage it, but Charlie and Gabriel held back their compliments until they saw where it led them. They'd both witnessed an attitude like this being someone’s downfall and they didn’t want that to happen to Sam.

All four dipped past the border undetected, and soon they arrived at a broken down building.

Charlie gestured to a room a few stories up, which had candle light flickering from inside, “He’s up there. We better get climbing.”

Ruby sneered, “Yes, you and Gabe go on ahead. Sam and I are _officers_ ,” she gestured to her uniform arrogantly, “ _We_ use the stairs.”

With an exaggerated roll of Gabriel’s eyes, he muttered, “Must be nice to be royalty. Come on, Char, let’s warn him before he puts a bullet in their heads.”

Charlie nodded, grabbed the rungs, and pulled herself up.

Sam followed Ruby and tried to imitate her confident posture. Sure, he’d seen parts of the Trilogy army before, but he was too busy ducking and hiding to study them. Ruby fell back into her authoritatively evil role easily and smiled at Sam with a reassuring, “The demons’ll never know what hit them.”

“You know, you could be a little nicer to our teammates,” Sam groused in a low whisper. “You need to suck up as it is.”

“Where's the fun in that?” She began ascending the steps, heels clicking aggressively, announcing her presences and daring anyone to cross her, “It’s part of the gig.”

He sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. It was one of the things he had liked about Ruby, even if it was currently raking against his nerves.

Once they figured out what room it was based on the outside window, Ruby knocked three times.

There was the shuffling of multiple feet, Charlie and Gabriel having beat them to the room, when the door swung open.

Balthazar leaned casually in the doorway, his thick British accent greeting, “Oo, if it isn’t my _favorite_ bitch in the world.” He let his eyes roam up and down Sam and nodded, “Is this a present for me? You shouldn’t have.”

“Hello, dear Balthy, may we come in?” She said with a completely straight face, in case other ears picked up their conversation.

“Of course, love, make yourself right at home.” He stepped out of the way, letting his eyes linger on Sam a second more before making enough room for him to enter, “And you too, tall, dark and simply _delicious_.”

“And I thought you were bad,” Sam pointed a finger at Gabriel once the door shut behind them.

Balthazar studied Ruby with a strange look, “I must admit, I never thought you were with the good guys. You’ve always been such a hateful cunt. Imagine my surprise.”

“All circumstantial, I can assure you,” her voice had taken on a sickeningly fake, yet sweet tone. “Can’t say I’m surprised you’re a talented actor, but a complete asshole traitor.”

“Pot and kettle, darling,” he snipped right back.

“Can we stop this, please?” Charlie stood in between them, “We have more important things to do than a verbal pissing match. Save that for your own, kinky private time.”

Doing a one-eighty, Balthazar wrapped Charlie in his arms and muttered into her hair, “I’m missed you very much, darling. You’re as beautiful as ever, a light in this-”

“-still gay, dude.” Charlie pulled herself away, but placed a small kiss on his cheek. “Stop trying to get in my panties and respect me as a comrade, please.”

“Anything for you,” he purred, and brushed his fingertips along the side of her face.

“Somehow this seems less and less like a good idea,” Sam muttered to Gabriel.

“Most terribly _fantastic_ ideas are,” he patted him on the back, “Enough with the warm and fuzzies, let’s get to the nitty gritty. And, boy, do we have some stories for you, Balthy.”

“I _do_ enjoy a good story,” his smirk was unnerving, “I’m all ears.”

\------

Cotton.

His mouth felt like fucking cotton.

And his body felt like he was hit by a truck. That had reversed itself. And then proceeded to run him over again and again.

He tried to clear his throat but the dry scratching couldn’t be fixed. It was a lost cause. He tried to remember where he was, what had happened, and shake the feeling he had dreamed about something important. Some memory that was right outside his grasp.

He opened his eyes and thanked God the room was pretty dim and he wasn't blinded by the florescent lights.

“Dean?!” A voice demanded, and it made his head rush with pain.

“Woah, woah - a little quieter, please?”

Ellen was hovering over him when his eyes full adjusted, that mother hen expression was all over her face. But she let him gather his bearings before she started harassing him.

“Cas-” Dean attempted to swallow down the lead in his throat, “’s Cas?”

“Oh, honey.” Ellen shuffled out of the room and soon returned with a glass of water.

He grabbed it and chugged it down greedily, but he knew he couldn’t drink much more without puking. He’d learned that the hard way, before.

“Where is he? Is he okay?” He demanded, as soon as he could form coherent words again.

“Dean,” there was a warning in her voice, “You need to focus on _yourself_ for a change. But yes, Cas is alive. He’s still asleep. You’ve both been out for a while.”

“I need to see him, I have to tell him-”

“He won’t be up for a conversation anytime soon.” She pursed her lips, “We had to make you the priority here. He’s fine, but we still needed to get you more blood. He’s gonna be weak for a long time. I’m just glad you finally woke your ass up.”

“What?!” Dean demanded, trying to sit up and failing miserably, “You kept sucking him dry even after he almost died?!”

“Hah,” she sounded bitter, “ _Both_ you dummies died, and you’re not going anywhere. It’s what Cas wanted - he wanted you to get better and even though it sucks to keep taking, I’m not about to deal with _his_ ranting and raving if he found out he was alive but you weren’t. We made a hard choice, Dean, but now that you’re up you can probably heal the rest of the way on your own. We can give Cas a break.”

“I’m not a vampire and he’s not a fucking meal for me! What the hell were you thinking!?” Dean couldn’t keep his voice down, even though his body was yelling at him to stop. “He’s your leader, he’s way more important-”

“You’re right. He  _is_ our leader and we need to follow _his_ orders. This just happened to be one of them,” she huffed, leave it to Dean to raise her blood pressure within seconds of being awake. “You’re both the dumbest self-sacrificing assholes I’ve met, but I’d rather face your wrath than his. So take a breath and cool your fool-ass down. Once you’re well enough, you can see him. Although, it’s not too pretty.”

Dean was starting to panic. “But he’s gonna be okay, right? He’s not gonna die?”

“He’ll be fine. We just don’t know _when_ he‘ll be fine.”

“Fuck, Ellen-”

“I’ll get Jo. She’ll want to know you’re all right.”

Dean couldn’t argue with her anymore, as she marched out of the room. He couldn’t stop thinking about Cas. He needed to be with him, needed him to get better. All the anger he felt before was completely gone, and now his heart was fucking _breaking_ over the thought of losing him. Cas was going to get an earful when he woke up, that was for sure.

\-------

One of the first bits of good news that helped them enormously was the fact that they had not one, but _two_ moles on their side. Ruby and Balthazar strolled through the streets without worry or fear because _they_ were the fear.

As cocky as Ruby was she didn’t exactly know what to think of Balthazar. He had been a fallen angel and on the side of the Underground from the beginning. There was also the little fact that he was ruthless.

She didn’t exactly feel safe around him.

But she kept up appearances, walking with her head held high, and hand hovering over the hilt of her knife.

“Don’t hurt yourself," the man snickered, and kept the pace of their patrolling up, which was (more or less) following two more officers until they let their guard down. “Don’t worry your pretty little head, I’m not going to do anything to you. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m happily at Cassie’s beck and call. And if you’re still alive, he obviously intends to keep it that way.”

Ruby sneered, “Yeah? He sure didn’t want that at first.”

“You’re not making a good case for yourself, love.”

“I don’t need to explain myself to you.” She hesitated in her step as the two they were tailing ducked in front of a building, but quickly changed the subject to, “These two? Really?”

Balthazar's grin turned almost malicious and he nodded with certainty, “I want to try a little experiment, if you will.”

“I don’t think Sam will-”

“You’re a _terrible_ evil villain, you know that?” The man drew his blade, he knew it was time to strike and put the plan into action. This place was isolated and the perfect location to corner them. “Pull on your big girl pants and do your bloody job.”

“And they say  _I’m_ the bad guy.”

\------

“Here! We have gifts,” Balthazar announced, as he and Ruby came bustling through the door and threw down two struggling bodies of Trilogy officers.

Their eyes were wide and mouths were taped shut as they struggled on the floor.

Charlie shot to her feet with a yelp, startled at the surprise entrance _and_ hostages. But Gabriel and Sam just stared, seemingly unaffected. The girl looked awkward about her outburst and sat down carefully.

“So, uhh... what now?” She looked at Balthazar.

But it was Ruby who answered, “Now, Sammy can show you his special skills.”

Gabriel glanced between the men on the floor and then to Ruby, with an eerie kind of strange silence.

“Right, show us what you’ve got,” the British man encourage, seating himself on a stool next to his ratty dinner table. “I’m positively excited.”

“Ruby? Gabe?” Sam asked, a little unsure, but both of them followed him into the other room.

Sam didn’t want Charlie to see what they’d been doing. It was one thing to _know_ , but actually _witnessing_  it was a grotesque other story.

“This the romantic blood toast?” Balthazar asked Charlie, fully aware, since he was now filled in on the story.

She nodded, “Yeah, guess it’s something they’d rather do in private.”

“I bet,” he gave her a wink, “Anything you’d like to-”

“ _Dude_. Lesbian. Take a cold shower.”

After a few minutes, all three emerged from the room and there was a spark of electricity in the air surrounding the human.

Gabriel and Ruby both bandaged their sliced hands and returned to where they had been before, strangely reserved and mechanical for their loud, boisterous personalities. However, Sam strode purposefully and placed himself directly in front of the two men quivering on the floor.

He didn’t even close his eyes to concentrate as Ruby had watched him do in the past. No, this was something _eons_  different.

He simply leveled his gaze, lifted his hand...

And snapped his fingers.

Agonizing grunts came from the guards: one immediately was red-hot with sizzling flames, burning from the inside out before the smoke could escape his vessel.

To the confusion of Charlie and Sam, the other man began to twist and turn, convulsing on the floor. Then a light _burst_ in a blinding, white flash from the body, leaving the corpse motionless and gaunt.

“What the hell-” Sam whipped around to look at Ruby’s unreadable face and Balthazar smirking.

Gabriel looked indifferent, where Sam had hoped to see pride instead, and he merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, congrats, young man,” Balthazar snickered, showing the most expression out of anyone. “You’re now juiced up enough to smother demons, _and_ deep-fry human souls.”


	17. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Even without his wings, he was still a force. But, shit, Dean, you should have seen him in all his glory. Talk about a wet dream.”_
> 
> _“Meg!” He snapped, and felt the energy in his body sizzling._
> 
> _“Keep it in your pants, champ. The point is, Cas was stronger. Stronger than me, stronger than creatures. But he protected and saved humans from day one. Know how he did that?”_
> 
> _“Dashing good looks?”_
> 
> _“His grace, you idiot. That’s what Lucifer took away from the angels. Grace is strength, grace heals.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

“What?!” Sam demanded, “What the hell did you mean, deep-fry a human soul?!”

“We brought you one of each to see how to did,” Ruby placed her hands on her hips, looking very pleased. “Wanted to see the extent of your skills.”

“I killed a human?”

“Relax, he was a baddie, remember?” Balthazar tried to console him.

“But not by choice!” Sam was frantic, as he turned around to face Gabriel, “You knew about this?!”

“Meh.” He shrugged, “I didn’t think it was actually going to _work_.”

“You’ve leveled up, Sam,” Ruby took steps towards him, “This is a good thing.”

Sam shook his head, his words bitter, “I didn’t want to kill humans.”

“Demons are in human bodies, right? I don’t see what the big deal is,” Balthazar was completely indifferent, but he could see the remorse written all over Sam’s face.

Charlie never said a word.

“Charlie? You can’t possibly agree this is all right?” His eyes begged her.

However, her gaze didn’t leave the ground, “I mean, you guys have the power to go either way, right? It makes sense you can do both. You’re the neutral players in the middle, you could go good or bad. I’m not surprised.”

“That doesn’t make it okay!”

“Kiddo, kiddo!” Gabriel marched over to him, putting both hands on his shoulders where he was slumped over. “Chill out. This was a field trip, a test. We’ll go back to the Underground, you can cry into your pillow and then pull your shit together. This is something you have to do, even if you don’t like it. The end justifies the means.”

“We can have a powwow when we get back,” Charlie agreed. “Dean should be coming around. Then we can get things set into motion.”

“You heard the lady. We’re _neutral_ , Sam. Remember?” Ruby tried to get it to sink in. “Get your shit together and accept it. The sooner the better.”

\-------

Dean didn’t know what to think as he laid in bed. He didn’t want to be alone because he was thinking so damn hard about Cas. If he was in any condition, he would’ve been searching the halls until he found him. He was laying in a spare room at the officer’s quarters, which almost certainly meant Cas was across town at HQ - as far away from him as he could get.

The dicks knew his first order of business would be escaping and finding the man. This way, they made it impossible in his current state.

_Well played, assholes, well played._

But the funny thing about it, was that Dean was faking it.

Every time someone came to see him, he acted half-lucid and winced in pain. In addition, before visits became too long, he pretended to fall asleep on them.

They were visiting too often to plan an escape.

He could feel the new blood under his skin rushing with energy, he was different, and he knew it. Hell, what else could explain him coming out of a coma and feeling like he could river dance?

Night was coming though, and he had ‘fake passed out’ on enough people they’d be convinced he’d sleep on through.

That’s when he was planning on bolting.

He could hardly contain the energy and it kind of terrified him for a second. He had a different type of craving for Cas.

When it had been Gabriel’s blood in him, he knew it was wrong. Every fiber of him screamed it, but he was too naïve to pay attention to the signs.

But with Cas’ - he felt nearly complete.

So close, he could almost _taste it_ , but he felt like there was one last thing he needed to be ready.

That would wait until after he saw the man. The idea of Cas was more urgently rushing him forward.

He planned his route while he counted down the time until it was light’s out. He would wait until everyone was passed out before making his way out.

Not like anyone could stop him if he did.

He didn’t want to sound cocky, but he felt strong. Really, ridiculously fucking strong.

He could’ve forced his way out but it would just be better to sneak and let them have one restful night without worrying about anything.

Once he crept out of bed, he silently made his way through the hall, then the lobby, then the front door.

It was then he realized this new power wasn't one-dimensional. He wasn’t just strong. He was _fast_ as fuck.

Not like a sprinter: like a demon who could flash and appear wherever they wanted.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself in Cas’ room, looking over his motionless figure.

His stomach was tied in knots when he sat on the edge. The others had been fibbing, he didn’t look just comatose, he looked near death. Like, chilling on Tessa’s doorstep, which could’ve been literal and figurative at the same time. He raised a palm to cup Cas’ clammy skin and felt a rage inside him.

How could they do this to him?

Even if it was Castiel's wish, these idiots shouldn’t have taken it this far-

“Pretty sad, huh?” He heard Meg’s voice from behind him and spun around to grab her throat, which was now instinctual when he was caught off guard. “Whoo, lookie you. Souped up looks good on you, Dean. Could get a girl like me all excited.”

He release her and felt himself deflate. “Thanks, I guess. It was partially you who ‘souped me up.’ But you’re fine and Cas looks like he's dying and I can’t deal with this-”

“Human’s are frail,” she sat down besides Dean, joining his vigil over Castiel, “I knew Clarence before he fell, actually. Such a beautiful, all-powerful piece of ass. He’s still a pretty nice piece of ass, don’t get me wrong, but even though his fire never died, his poor body couldn’t keep up.”

Dean raised an eyebrow, “Before the Fall? I thought the angels just crash landed on Earth and that was it.”

“Well,” she quirked a smile, “That’s one of the things I found admirable about Castiel. Most angels turned their backs to the problems on Earth, believing the mud monkey’s problems were none of their concern. Cas was down here fighting against demons long _before_ Lucifer even rose.”

She scoffed, a nostalgic look on her face, “I was part of the group who resurrected him. Demon Sunday school taught me that all would be right in the world once he was back walking the Earth. I _believed_  beyond a shadow of a doubt. The same way Castiel believed in his father.”

“Quite the odd couple,” Dean grumbled, unsure where this story was going.

“We ran into each other on the battlefield - multiple times. I’d disappear before he had a chance to smite me, but... he told me one time that I _still_ had some humanity inside me. Of course, I made a dirty joke about wanting some _angel_ inside me instead, he didn’t understand, and _that’s_ when I realized how damn fond of him I was,” she leaned her head on Dean’s shoulder, sighing loudly. “He has that effect on people, you know.”

“Yeah. I get it. Is there a point to this?”

“Calm down, Deano. I never played cowgirl to your handsome bronco, if that’s what you’re jealous about.” She poked him in the cheek. “Anyway, I was actually in charge of locating the tablets and spells that lead to the Angel’s Fall. Stupidest fuckin' thing I’d ever been apart of. Not long after, when Crowley’s dumbass got thrown in the mix, I couldn’t be around what the world was turning into. And that’s when I found Castiel. So ridiculously human, but _still_ so hopeful.”

“He recognized me and looked like a confused baby bird when I didn’t kill him on the spot,” Meg chuckled. “It didn’t even occur to me that I could. Even without his wings, he was still a force. But, shit, Dean, you should have seen him in all his glory. Talk about a wet dream.”

“Meg!” He snapped, and felt the energy in his body sizzling.

“Keep it in your pants, champ. The point is, Cas was _stronger_. Stronger than _me_ , stronger than _creatures_. But he protected and saved humans since day one. Know how he did that?”

“Dashing good looks?”

“His _grace_ , you idiot. That’s what Lucifer took away from the angels. Grace is strength, grace  _heals_.”

She was staring at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world.

“What?”

She huffed a sigh, “It’s _always_ the dumb ones-”

She gestured between the three of them, “What are we?”

Dean raised an eyebrow, “Dysfunctional as fuck, but also known as the Trinity?”

“Good boy. And why did Gabriel’s blood screw the pooch?” She lead him along, step by step, if it had to be that way.

“Because I ‘manifested’ or whatever from Cas’ and your blood. And we’re good guys. Or some shit.” He had no idea where she was going with this.

“And how did you ‘manifest?’ What did you get that wasn’t your period?” She honestly wondered what was taking him so long.

“Oh,” his eyes lit up in recognition, “'Great Balls of Fire' style? What about it?”

Meg stared. “Are you fucking with me right now?”

“No,” he defended indignantly, “I didn’t even remember about it until you just brought it up. I thought it was just magical indigestion or something.”

“It was _grace_ , you fucking moron!” She was literally about to pull her hair out, “The _last_ bit of grace on the whole fucking planet that Lucifer doesn't have!”

His eyes widened, “What the fuck?! Why didn’t anyone tell me that?!”

Her jaw dropped when it finally hit her like a truck - Dean honestly had no idea before now.

“Shit, we’re getting it, we’re healing Cas!”

“Fuckin’ finally.”

\----------

  
Balthazar walked through the door and stopped them as they were planning on stepping out for one more look around town.

He looked out of breath and a little concerned, which spoke volumes to the others.

“What’s up, dude?” Gabriel was pulling on his cloak, but halted the second he got a good look at the other man.

“You need to leave. Immediately. The prophet has gabbed to the Trilogy, they know about the opposing force you’re collecting. They don’t know about the Underground... _Yet_. But they’re putting together a man-hunt to kill whoever is a part of it.” He rushed out, “No more last minute ganders. You need to leave. _Now!_ ”

All four of them began collecting their things in the midst of the chaos.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Balthazar grabbed Ruby’s arm.

“What the hell do you mean? You said we needed to leave.”

“And put _my_ life on the line? I think not,” he growled, “We were in town. People saw us together. If you disappear right as this witch hunt is going on, your absence is going to give you up as a traitor and me through association. You’re staying right here and continuing your duties.”

“Come with us, Balth,” Charlie begged, “We can _all_ get out together if we leave now.”

Ruby and Balthazar stared at each other for a long time.

“He’s right,” she admitted. “You need informants on the inside. He can’t leave now, and I can’t either. It’d be too risky.”

“Ruby!” Sam exclaimed, but she stopped him in his tracks.

“Get a knife, get that flask. You need a parting gift before the big showdown and I can see you again,” she ordered, “Be quick! He’s right - they’ll be knocking on doors anytime.”

Gabriel reached into Sam’s cloak where he knew it was hidden, since Sam had frozen in place and Charlie grabbed the lucky knife Jo had given her with sad eyes.

The slice Ruby made in her arm was not delicate, and she let it gush into the open flask as she winced.

Sam’s eyes were begging her not to do this and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“I’ll be fine,” she directed it to him once the metal was filled to the brim. “Get your brother back on his feet, and get your ass back up here, okay?”

He kissed her on the lips and nodded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of this little gem for you, Sam,” Balthazar chuckled at his own pun.

“Time to go,” Charlie tucked the knife back into its holster as she roughly pulled Sam away. She pursed her lips together and threw a quick, “We’ll be back soon, take care,” as she ushered the men through the door.

There wasn’t a moment to waste. They took off running as fast as their legs could take them towards the desert leading to the ends of the earth, but most importantly - The Underground.

\----------

New powers were pretty sweet, Dean had to admit, as he and Meg popped into the room with the locked box. As he reached for it, he recoiled as his skin sizzled and spun around to look at Meg.

“What the hell, why can’t I open it?!” He demanded and realization lit up in her eyes.

“The sigils...as a safety precaution Cas warded it against demons.”

“But I’m not-” he took a deep breath and ventured a guess. “It’s the blood inside me, huh?”

“I didn’t even think about it,” she frowned and then spun around as they heard another voice.

“I can open it.”

Both flinched, it was the first time they had seen Anna healthy enough to be out of bed and wandering by herself.

Well, _healthy_ might not have been a good word - as she, not so much wandered, but  _staggered_ forward and caught herself from falling by grabbing the safe.

“Anna, are you-”

“Quiet,” she snapped at the other woman, “We can’t waste anymore time.”

She used her palm to wipe off some of the scribbles and pulled a key out of a drawer underneath it.

“So much for a good hiding place,” Meg mumbled.

As soon as she unlocked the box, a flash of blinding, white light overtook the room.

\-------

Castiel jerked out of bed, gasping and shocked.

Something he never thought he’d feel again burned in his body, and he pulled back the covers and jumped up before he could second guess it.

He ran through the hall, something was calling out to him until he found himself inside in a room.

Then it clicked.

It all made sense.

Anna was passed out on the floor and two figures turned around - slowly - to face him.

“Wha-what happened?!” He demanded immediately, looking between the pair.

“Nice to see you too, Cas,” Dean drawled, taking in his appearance, “Back from the dead, and all.”

“Do you feel it, too?” Meg’s eyes were wide, “I thought- I thought that only Dean-”

“Yes. I feel the grace.” He confirmed and his eyes brushed over Dean, “It makes sense.”

“None of this makes sense!” The woman was starting to panic.

Cas tried to calm her by taking her hand, Dean just stared over the two of them. “We shared our blood with him. To keep the balances in check, he shared his grace with us.”

She was speechless.

Almost.

“Well, shit, can you love me now that I’m one-third angel?” She winked, squeezing his hand.

Cas quickly dismissed her and stalked over until he was directly in front of Dean. He grabbed his face and looked into his eyes before he was convinced that Dean was indeed alive and not a figment of his imagination.

The look on his face was nothing more than pure joy and it took Meg clearing her throat for him to pull away.

“All right, we need to put the romance novel on hold, because you boys need to tell your owners you escaped your cages before they freak out. Go find Ellen and Jo,” she knelt down to the floor, and pulled Anna into her arms, “I need to get this one back to bed.” As much as Anna was unconscious, it didn't escape anyone's notice that the wounds on her body had healed, probably because of the rush of grace from the box. Another small miracle.

The two men began walking but didn’t speak a word. The energy was so fresh, it sizzled between the two and they both were afraid it was going to erupt.

There was no precedent to this feeling, it was explainable - there was no manual to go by.

They were walking on egg shells, worried it was too much too soon to obtain this power. But they were still stealing glances at each other and sharing small smiles.

Now, it was time to cross their t’s and dot their i’s.

They’d get time together soon enough.

Dean had to keep reminding himself of that and fight to keep his hands to himself. It was _really_ hard, there were so many things he wanted to do to Cas right now, dammit.

But something as innocent as holding hands would be all right, wouldn’t it?

Cas startled as his hand was taken by another warm one.

He smiled brightly at Dean and gave it a squeeze.

For the first time, they felt truly alive, and this vigor gave him motivation.

“I missed this.”

Dean quirked an eyebrow at the candid statement.

“All of this,” Cas' face was peaceful. “Being with you. Being an angel, if only a third. I’m...happy. I have you with me, that's all I could ask for.”

Dean blushed and jerked Cas’ hand so he stumbled in his steps, “All right, all right. Rainbows and unicorns, I get it.”

A small frown turned over on Cas’ face, “Dean, unicorn’s don’t-”

“Relax,” Dean stepped in front of him abruptly enough that Castiel crashed into him, “You can be my unicorn, okay?”

“Strangely enough, Meg has called me a unicorn before.” Cas snickered when he saw the expression on the other’s face. It was mildly horrified.

“Ew. Scratch that,” he brushed his cheek against the scruff on Cas’ face, “You can be my Pegasus, now that you’ve got your wings back.”

“Or perhaps a compromise, seeing as how we’re _all_ a team,” he shrugged. “You should both be content with Alicorn?”

“Hell no, you’re all _mine_. I refuse to share. No room for arguing, you’re a fuckin’ Pegasus.”

“I’d like that very much,” Cas kissed him softly, a jolt of strength (and maybe grace?) passing between their lips, ever so slightly.

The taller man started to crack up, “Holy shit. We’re so gay.”

“I wouldn’t label it as 'gay' even though we engaged in-”

Dean shut him up with another kiss, laughing all the while.

Castiel liked the way Dean’s mouth rumbled against his when he was trying to contain his giggles. It felt so honest, so sweet that it contagiously caught Cas up, and before long he was attempting to kiss him back while laughing. Who would have known they’d find this perfect moment in the middle of the chaos.

“But on a serious note,” Cas pulled away, his face returned to its stoic factory settings as he very critically inquired, “What mythological creature would you be? A Minotaur? A Griffin? Perhaps a Harpies,” he looked extravagantly thoughtful.

“Are you cracking a joke, Cas?!” Dean was incredulous and he wrapped his arms around the other’s entire body and clung tightly. “There’s hope for you yet!”

“I’ve settled on Siren, if that’s acceptable.”

He responded with a kiss to Cas’ neck, “Whatever you want, my winged pony.”

\----------

They decided instead of waking everyone to tell them they were fine and dandy at what was probably around three in the morning, they shoved the medical equipment to the side and curled up in Dean’s guest bedroom.

Although it was much too small for two grown, tall men, they had no problem sleeping close and listening to the other’s heartbeat.

When they awoke in the morning, they could explain to Ellen what happened. Or Jo - when checking on Dean - had Meg there to give her the scoop.

Only, 'morning' came earlier than expected.

They had only been laying together for under an hour when a commotion began in the lobby, and lights started flickering on.

The two were left undisturbed, those outside not wanting to concern them through the recovery time they didn’t even need anymore. Even so, what they heard outside made them freeze.

_“ -Trilogy knows about the prophesy-”_

_“-left Ruby behind-”_

_“- will be a slaughterhouse-”_

_“- need to make a move, pronto-”_

And then it was followed by jumbled words and many arguments about Dean and Sam not being ready by a long shot, and what they were supposed to do. Everyone was scared - they were frantic, shouting at each other and it was too much for Dean and Cas to just sit (lay) back and listen to.

They nodded at one another and, almost as if they could read each other’s minds, stood up together and threw open the door.

Heads turned at the noise and eyes widened.

“How the hell are you two-?!”

“Well, shit,” Gabe grinned at the couple. “Looks like there’s nothing to worry about after all.”

“What are you talking about, Gabriel?!” Charlie snapped.

“You can’t _feel_ it?” He raised an eyebrow. “We can check the first few steps of the prophesy off our list. Looks like it’s getting to be that time, ladies and gents. We _are_ ready for battle.”


	18. One on One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Cas rolled over on his side to watch Dean’s face. “Neither angels nor demons sleep, and I believe that includes us, as well.”_
> 
> _Dean propped himself up to match Cas. “Oh yeah?” There was a devilish smirk on his face, “Then there’s more time for us to engage in activities.”_
> 
> _“Activities?” The man echoed back, “And what kind of activities would we get into at four in the morning, do tell?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

There wasn’t much the group could do before morning. After the chaos, the news was delivered and adrenaline simmered down, the exhaustion hit everyone harder than ever. The frantic escape the reconnaissance team made had them all running on fumes. Sam, more than anyone. Dean was trying to talk Sam down about his fear concerning Ruby, saying she was a tough chick, she would be fine. _She’d been up there for this long, hadn’t she_?

Gabriel seemed content to see his brother and (practically) brother-in-law up and about. He mumbled something about ’glad to see you back from the dead,’ waved and quickly retired to his room.

Ellen and Bobby were next, after looking suspiciously over Dean and Cas, until they were assured that, by some miracle, they actually _were_ all right. They scoffed, both grumpy by nature, and being woke up at this hour only amplified it. Nothing could be done about the news - nor Dean and Cas - if they weren’t rested. They’d tackle all of that tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow was going to be a big day.

Carefully, Charlie walked over to Jo and with a small smile said, “Guess your good luck charms both worked. So thanks protecting me, cutie.” She added a wink for good measure, as she presented her with the knife.

Jo chuckled and closed Charlie’s hand around the hilt, pushing it away. “If it worked there's no reason to give it back to me now, is there? If it ain‘t broke, and all.”

“Is this how it’s going these days?” Dean raised an eyebrow, “No adorable promise rings? There are promise _blades_?”

“Shove it, Winchester.” Jo flipped him her middle finger and then grabbed Charlie’s hand, “We’ll go talk away from prying ears.”

As she was pulled away, Charlie gave Dean a goofy thumbs up before they disappeared into the hall.

“Love is in the air!” Gabriel's song echoed through the hallway, apparently the women passed by him on the way to Jo’s room.

“Eh,” Dean swiped his palm across his face and directed his attention back over to Sam. “Everything’s gonna be all right, you hear me on this one?”

“Yeah, I do,” the brother hunched his shoulders, finally feeling the crash of the trip.

“If it makes any difference, Sam,” Cas approached him like he would a wounded animal, “Balthazar is very capable and Ruby is tenacious. I have no doubt they will be fine.”

“Thanks, Cas.” Sam’s smile was forced and looked physically painful.

“I’ll cheer ya up, big boy!” Gabriel peeked back into the lounge, waggling his eyebrows.

“Dammit, Gabe, I thought you were asleep!” Dean spun around to his persistent, annoying voice and snapped.

“Yeah, and you all won’t _shut the fuck up_ , so there’s that!”

He sounded like a petulant child.

“I really do apologize about his behavior,” Castiel muttered, addressing Sam directly.

“I can still hear you!” Gabriel continued, “C’mon, Sammy, tuck me in and read me a bedtime story about all the hot sex-”

“Gabriel!” Sam blushed and rushed off towards him, capping off his conversation with the other two, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

At least Gabriel was an excellent distraction for Sam - that was for sure. Nothing could turn him from ‘glass case of emotion’ to ‘I’m going to tackle you and cut out your tongue’ faster than a peep from the Trickster.

Dean and Cas stood in silence for a moment.

“So, I guess now that everyone knows we’re up, no point in jamming in that little bed here, huh?”

“Yes,” Cas sighed loudly, but then added much gentler, “I much prefer _our_ bed.”

\------

“Are we having a girls night? Can we braid each other’s hair?” Charlie teased as she flopped down on Jo’s bed. “Or are we gonna do more good luck stuff?”

“How are you this cheery at this hour?” Jo started to dig through her drawers and pulled out a tank top and shorts for Charlie to put on. She was still in her traveling gear and Jo knew first hand how quickly she wanted to rip the clothes off (and burn them, most days) when she was back from a trip above ground.

When she saw the slightly fallen expression on the redhead’s face, she quickly added, “That’s one of the things I like about you, don’t sweat it.”

“Sorry we woke you up,” she said anyway, knowing Jo was one of those people who was crabby in the mornings, and this was technically early as hell.

“It’s fine, Char. It was kind of really important, you know. I’m glad to know you’re safe.” Her response was honest and open and the feelings spilled into each and every one of her words. “Let’s go to bed, sound good?”

“Can we do some good luck cuddling?” Charlie asked innocently.

“Mm,” Jo crawled across the bed and started pulling the other woman’s clothes off, “As long as you don’t get my sheets all gross with that river water.”

“I can do that! Getting naked, roger.”

“You’re such a dork,” Jo blushed a little, suddenly looking decently self conscious. “But a really cute, adorable kind of dork.”

Charlie caught her chin and lifted it up.

“You should probably get naked with me,” she had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“Bradbury!” Jo groaned, “You’re worse than the guys.”

“So...” her hand moved to squeeze Jo’s shoulder. “Is that a yes, or a yes?”

Jo laughed and shook her head, “I guess that‘s a nice reward for a job well done, right? And I heard naked cuddling doubles success in future missions. It‘s a proven statistic.”

“Yay! You know I love science.”

\---------

Both Dean and Castiel were laying in bed, staring at the ceiling when Dean said the thing that was on both their minds.

“I’m- not tired? Which doesn’t make any sense because I should be passed out like a drunk, right now.”

Cas chuckled at his statement, “This is a strange feeling for me, too, I haven’t experienced it in a while,” he rolled over on his side to watch Dean’s face. “But, it’s not unfamiliar. Neither angels nor demons sleep, and I believe that includes us, as well.”

Dean propped himself up to match Cas. “Oh yeah?” There was a devilish smirk on his face, “Then there’s more time for us to engage in activities.”

“Activities?” The man echoed back, “And what kind of activities would we get into at four in the morning, do tell?”

He wasn’t answered with words, but movement, being pushed to his back with a very arrogant Dean on top of him. “Too many to count. I could just show you.”

Cas gave him back a challenging smirk, “I could show you a few things of my own, Dean.”

“Shut up.”

Dean claimed his mouth aggressively, but it was fueled by want, rather than the anger inside him like the last time they’d been together. The previous few times had been a blur of Cas taking care of him, Cas taking him apart and Cas giving in to his begging.

It was time to return the favor.

He hadn’t been given a chance yet, to map out his angel’s body, and he was going to take full advantage of it.

And, if Cas’ wide eyes were anything to go by, he was completely on board.

Dean lifted up the man’s shirt, just enough to run both his palms down the expanse of Castiel’s torso. He felt the pull of muscles under his hands, the ridges of scars and the pounding of his heart.

There was a new electricity between them, and every time their bodies came into contact, it sizzled.

Dean was intoxicated on the sparks, and he was surprised they weren’t visibly jumping between them like a live wire. He knew it was bizarre, but thinking - for the first time, really - he had Cas’ blood running through his veins aroused him in a way he’d never felt. In the same way, he loved that Cas was filled with a part of him, the ‘grace’ that had come from his body.

He felt like he was home, as he nibbled down Cas’ torso, holding down the man’s hips to keep him from bucking up. Like two halves of a whole. When they were together, it was indescribable.

And it was going to keep getting better-

When they were in bed together, neither of them bothered to wear much clothing, which made the shirt disappear in no time. They were much happier with the feel of skin-on-skin.

Which made it easy to drive Cas crazy through the thin layer of his boxers.

Dean thrived listening to the sounds he was drawing from Cas. He tugged on the elastic hugging the man’s hips using his teeth, but didn’t pull them down. Instead, he brushed his lips deliberately slow across the head of Castiel’s cock, which was straining through the fabric.

He mouthed around the hard outline before he added a little more pressure to his ministrations. His dry lips ghosted across the length, and he mentally congratulated Cas on holding still. As his own little reward, he closed his mouth around the tip, where precum was starting to soak through the clothing. He began sucking the head into his mouth. He could _taste_ Castiel through the fabric, and _god_ , if that wasn't a turn on...

Cas shuddered beneath him, but didn’t beg. He was obviously enjoying the foreplay, breathlessly anticipating the main event.

Dean kept sucking, while his hands moved from where they were holding his hips, to slide up the legs of his boxers.

Once inside, he let one hand graze against his length from top to bottom, while his other hand teased smoothly at his balls. He rolled one in his hand, with a little firmer touch as his mouth left a soaked patch in it’s wake. Dean withdrew his hands and raked his fingers down the span of Cas’ thighs, earning more desperate moans.

He was impressed - Dean, himself, didn’t have as much self-control as Cas was displaying. Which made him even sexier, if that was _possible_.

Dean glanced up to see Cas biting his lip with enough force to make it bleed, completely captured in watching his every move. Dean held his gaze as he unhurriedly pulled the boxers down just enough to get his actual tongue lapping at Cas’ slit. Never breaking eye contact.

Cas moaned and threw his head back, this time rearing upward for more. So Dean took pity on him.

He tugged the fabric down to Castiel’s knees and licked the shaft with enthusiasm. When he reached the tip, he knew enthusiasm could only get him so far. Cas was too fucking big to take down his throat, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun trying.

He starting sucking him, right where he had left off, but now without the barrier of clothing. And fuck, if the moans from Cas didn’t make him bob his head a little faster, he‘d be lying. He swirled his tongue around the top, in between every deep swallow down, saliva started to drip all the way to the base.

Cas was writhing in the sheets, but carefully kept his hips steady, make a conscious effort not to choke Dean.

When fingertips brushed against Cas’ lips, he was startled, but complied immediately by opening his mouth. His tongue eagerly sucked on the digits, trying to keep the pace Dean was setting on his cock. He was hoping he could get his desperation across by using his mouth.

With a pop, Dean pulled away both his lips and his hand.

He slid up Cas’ body and asked in a low voice, “You wanna watch, Cas?”

Castiel’s eyes were huge, and nodded his rapt attention as Dean hovered over him, and moved his own hand between his legs.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Cas was breathless while he stared as Dean’s finger, one by one, disappeared inside him.

He couldn’t lay still any longer and flipped Dean on his back none to gently.

Dean’s eyes flew open, as he saw Cas, suddenly grabbing a front row seat and gnawing at his thigh, “Don’t stop.”

His voice was huskier than normal and demanding. Dean fucking loved it.

It wasn’t until he had three fingers inside himself that Cas moved at all, taking in the sight with elation. But when he did move, Dean gasped.

Cas shifted Dean’s hips up onto his tucked knees and shifted the angle. He massaged his fingertips along side Dean’s, barely breaching his rim.

When two almost dipped in, and Dean punched out a shutter, Cas encouraged, “You can do better than that, Dean.”

The tables had officially turned, and he was more than happy to give up control. This was the powerful and assertive Cas that made his knees feel weak, and his body ached for.

Castiel spit on his fingers and took a minute to gape, not so subtly, at the flawless image of Dean fingering himself before he continued.

Dean knew Cas wasn’t going to hurt him, but a rush of adrenaline and excitement made his stomach do flips. Those same two fingers continued their teasing, now slick with saliva. Cas couldn’t tear his eyes away as he pushed one past the taut ring of muscle to join Dean’s inside the tight heat.

“You really get off on this, don’t you?” Dean groaned out, “Getting me good and stretched out before I take your dick?”

“Maybe I do,” he smirked, starting to twist inside Dean. “I’d like to see how much you can take.”

His eyes widened a little, as the other finger of Cas’ started prodding and waiting until he was relaxed enough to enter him.

“Fuck, Cas I-”

“Yes, you can,” he almost purred, and started to pull his other finger out to make _just_ enough room.

When both of his finger tips were pressing against him and in place, he twisted them around, slowly pushing deeper inside.

Dean’s forearm flew to his mouth and he had to bite down to keep himself quiet. He needed to relax, needed to trust Cas, and through the burn, he wanted them in _so bad_. He wanted to be stretched fuller than he’d ever been more.

Cas moved his weight and kept bending his fingers until they were buried completely. He shuttered and unintentionally bucked his hips at the sight of how Dean looked completely wrecked wrapped around him.

“I told you.” Dean had to shove another moan down as Cas pulled them out just barely and shoved them back in, “I want to fill you with more than my fingers, though.”

Dean was too preoccupied by the feeling between his legs, he could only whimper what he hoped was a ‘yes’ and nod his head.

Looking like a predator eyeing his prey, Cas pulled out, and Dean’s straining wrist was finally relieved of the awkward angle. Cas kept his spot, but maneuvered Dean around to lay his side and closed his legs. Castiel spread Dean’s ass cheeks apart and smirked to see his puffy hole was still spit-slick before he shifted himself to line up.

Cas pushed in unbearably slowly, and kept Dean’s knees together, and slightly bent with a forceful grip. He shuttered when he was in all the way, and watched Dean writhe into the new position.

It was impossible to kiss him from this angle, but both men’s patience had worn thin, and he didn’t complain for a second when Cas started pounding into him. Dean squeezed his thighs, making it impossibly, and miraculously tight, which left the other breathless.

“God, wanna feel you dripping down my legs, Cas,” Dean moaned out encouragingly.

“It’s crazy what you do to me,” Cas punctuated every syllable with a frantic thrust. “You’re perfect.”

Cas started driving into him deeper, pushing himself up off his heels, giving in to Dean’s begging.

When Dean’s moans became louder and he knew he was close, Cas pulled out and started fucking into Dean's ass with his fingers again. He almost instantly found Dean’s prostate, and set a brutal pace, while he wrapped his hand around his own cock.

Dean came with Cas’ name on his tongue, but didn’t slow down until he painted Dean’s side with his release.

Completely winded, and slightly dizzy, Cas fell back on his haunches and took a breath. Dean lazily rolled onto his back and swatted at Castiel’s thigh.

“Yes, Dean?” He leaned forward just enough to kiss his hipbone.

“You’re kind of amazing. Has anyone ever told you that before.”

He smiled and tilted his head, “I believe _you_ have.”

“Well, just wanted you to know.”

“I still don’t believe I’m tired. Would you like to join me in the shower?” Cas smeared the cum on Dean’s backside for emphasis, “I believe we could both use one.”

Dean quirked a smile, “I love it when you’re a kinky mother fucker.”

“Only with you,” he couldn’t resist making eye contact with Dean and licking the tips of his fingers.

“ _Goddamn_. Is there going to be another round in the shower?”

“If you’d like,” Cas helped Dean sit up.

“Fuck, I love being part angel slash demon.”

Cas chuckled at the enthusiasm and pulled the man to follow him.

\----------

People began emerging at different times though the next morning, and it wasn’t until Jo went to grab cereal that Dean smirked at Charlie.

“So, get your box stuffed last night, champ?” He leaned in towards her and winked.

“A lady never kisses and tells.” She batted her eyelashes in response, “What’s got you in such a good mood this morning, anyway?”

Cas glanced at him, over the cup of tea he was currently sipping, and shrugged.

“Turns out, the angel demon thing is doing me a world of _wonders_ , and marathon sex is one of the benefits,” Dean whispered, just loud enough for Cas and Charlie both to hear it.

Charlie blinked owlishly, “As much as I’m glad to hear it, you talking about sex with Cas is like talking about sex with a brother. Ew.” She made a face, “But kudos, anyway.”

Cas set down the tea and leveled Dean with a glare, “Must you discuss these things out loud with my officers?”

He chuckled, and placed a kiss on Cas’ cheek, “I’m just talking shop with my comrades, what’s the big deal? You weren’t complaining this mor-”

“You two are _assholes_.” Meg collapsed down to a seat at their table. “Clarence, while I thoroughly enjoyed you making Dean scream like a little girl, you should be more considerate that _I_ can’t sleep either. Watching my comatose girlfriend while there’s a porno in the other room isn’t my idea of fun.”

“Shit, you two weren’t kidding about a marathon,” Charlie grinned. “Must have put on _quite_ the show, if _Meg_ is complaining.”

“There are more important matters to discuss,” Cas stopped the conversation before it could do too far. “And I’m sorry, Meg.”

“Eh,” she shrugged, “At least someone’s getting some.”

\--------

They were preparing. In two days time they were finally going to put their plan into action and the countdown started, now. Everyone was given one day to tie up loose ends and get their shit together before they all headed above ground. One last deep breath, before the final scene.

The news of the manhunt was troubling. Terrifying, even. However, they had their networks, flawless ways of conveying messages back and forth if things became dire. Their numbers were dwindling above ground. Alarmingly so. When things began to collapse, they moved all their operatives to the Underground, except for the ones who absolutely refused.

One of them being Balthazar.

There were less contacts above ground than you could count on one hand and they knew how to blend in. They’d be safe.

Hopefully, the innocent civilians wouldn’t be hit in the crossfire, because that’s just what they were.

Innocent.

All the traitors were below the Earth’s surface.

Soon, they’d be rising to take back what was theirs.

Thank God the end of the world didn’t revolve around some ritual on a full moon as it had in the past.

It was almost like they were fooling themselves, Castiel had actually given everyone a day to do whatever they wanted. It was something he would have never considered, always jumping in head first - before Dean.

Maybe it was selfish?

Maybe it was because _he_ wanted to spend as much time next to him as he could, because it might be the last.

When Dean had said ‘marathon sex’ it wasn’t a euphemism at all, much to Meg’s dismay.

It had begun when they both knew sleep wasn’t going to come to them. It continued with Cas fucking Dean from behind in the shower. It ended when ‘dawn’ was about to break, and they sunk into each other, slow and sweet with whispered ‘I love you‘s.

Cas couldn’t get enough.

He couldn’t keep his eyes off Dean, stealing glances whenever he could.

While he was afraid of what the next few days may bring, he was more afraid of losing him.

Maybe Gabriel had been right...

\---------

Kevin had been kept in a locked room since he was taken. He had no idea of the day, no idea of how much time had passed or what was going on outside. He probably wouldn’t even know if the world had totally ended outside that door.

Even through the seizures when he manifested, it hadn’t escaped his notice how hard Cas fought to protect him and he hoped the leader wasn’t blaming himself.

In the meantime, he sat and stewed. He was smart, he was trying to come up with some sort of plan, picking and choosing what parts of his vision he would tell the Trilogy.

He couldn’t hide all of it, but he knew, no matter what they did to him, he couldn’t confess anything about the Underground. So far, he’d been successful.

They had already known about the prophesy before. Which was why they killed off all the prophets in the first place. That was also why Kevin had immediately spilled it had been set in motion, so they needed him. They needed to keep him _alive_ \- to stay in the loop.

The three were hard-headed, and didn’t come together to combine their strengths, it was just a happenstance they were all in the same city when the world began to decay and were stuck with each other.

Yes, Lucifer had the fallen angel’s graces. Yes, Abaddon had her military, and the leadership prowess to command the army of officers. Unfortunately, yes, the previously no-name demon Crowley had made leap to devour the souls of purgatory.

Even _more_ unfortunately, Crowley had take an interest in him. It made his skin crawl.

“Knock, knock,” the slimy voice of said third of the Trilogy sneered as he opened the door. “Would you like to come out and play, little Kevie?”

It was a fact Kevin didn’t look like a threat, but damn if his glare didn’t cut right through the demon. The rage was building up, and waiting to be unleashed, if only he wasn’t restrained and locked away.

“Go to hell.”

“Oo, but we’re here, kitten.” He purred, and reached out to pull Kevin to his feet. “I’m bored. Let’s see what trouble we can get into, shall we? Maybe we can have some one-on-one time and you can gab any little secrets you’ve been hiding from the other blokes?”

Kevin shuddered and hated the sound of that.


	19. First Time For Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“We’re the good team, so we have, in your words, a ‘free pass.’”_
> 
> _Dean grabbed Cas' wrists before he could produce his air quotes and started laughing all over again._
> 
> _“Dude, it’s no wonder we never have drunk sex, I can’t take you seriously for two seconds.”_
> 
> _“Yes. It seems to be a problem.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

Kevin didn’t have much choice but to follow the demon through the halls until they reached a room with high ceilings and gaudy drapes that made it look like a palace. Must have been Crowley’s tacky quarters.

With a snap of his finger, the door slammed shut and he gestured to a lounge chair along the side, “Please, have a seat. Make yourself at home. Water? Coffee? You're much too young to appreciate a good bourbon.”

“What do you want?” Kevin tried to keep his voice even, “I haven’t had any new visions if you were going to beat them out of me.”

“Oh no, no. See, this is my boudoir and I would hate to get blood on my finery. This is a discussion, nothing to get your panties in a knot over.” He took a seat in a lavish chair, that almost resembled a throne. “So I’ll cut to the chase.”

Kevin’s silence was his answer.

“Chatty, I see,” he raised an eyebrow, “As you know, before this whole,” he gestured flippantly, “ _mess_ , I was King of the Crossroads - first and foremost.”

“Yeah, I know. What does that have to do with anything?”

He leaned forward, conspiratorially, “I’m here to offer you a deal, Kevie.”

The young man didn’t like the sound of that. However being out of his prison was better than nothing.

“Go on.”

\------------

“Eat, drink, be merry, right?” Charlie leaned forward as she dealt the cards. “This will help us with all of the above.”

“I know I’d hustle you out of money, so I’ll just play bartender tonight,” Jo told the group and everyone noticed her hand brush through Charlie’s hair, just before asking, “So will anyone be a bitch if I bring out shots?”

“Sounds perfect, cutie.” Gabriel waggled his eyebrows, picking up the hand of cards.

The blonde rolled her eyes and disappeared to the other room.

“So, uh, where did the chips go?” Garth looked around the table for what he could have sworn he had played with not even a week ago.

“You do _not_ want to know, trust me,” Sam laughed, “Anything else we can use for some wages?”

“I suggest sexual favors-”

“Gabe, you’re such an animal.” Jo began placing small glasses around the table and then filled them up to the brim with the liquor, “But we can make this more fun, I think.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re playing ‘bartender,’” Dean rolled his eyes, looking over to where Cas was looking a little apprehensive.

“I’d say we should swap the poker with waterfall, but God knows we’re not doing that college-amateur bullshit,” Jo placed her hands on her hips. “You guys should wage drinks. Like, ‘I bet two shots’ or ‘half a beer’ or-”

“A blow job?” Gabe perked up.

“Ugh,” Sam rolled his eyes. “This sounds dangerous.”

“Cas did give us all tomorrow to recover, too,” Charlie said conversationally, “I think it’d be a nice distraction for the night. After all, no matter how bad the fight gets with the Trilogy, it won’t even phase us if we have the worst hangovers ever in the history of the world. Ya dig?”

“I’ll be on drink and water duty.”

Ellen rolled her eyes, “Now, you can monitor that none of these idiots get too drunk, right?”

“Yes, mom.”

“No one get alcohol poisoning tonight, ya hear?” Bobby groused and turned to follow Ellen out.

They were too old for all this shit, and they announced as much while departing - after snagging a bottle of whiskey for themselves.

“You guys haven’t gotten started yet, have you?” Meg asked from the doorway, scooting in some chairs next to Tessa. “Deal in two more.”

“Anna, it’s good to see you,” Cas smiled as the girls joined at the table. “I trust you’re feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you.” She nodded, and Dean had to admit she _did_ look much better.

Better than he’d seen her in a while, actually.

“Babe, let’s get some more shots and drinks ready and we can dive in!” Charlie winked at the blonde. “It’s been a while since we’ve had this big of a group for poker, I’m excited!”

The table was, indeed, a lot larger than most times. Cas had even brought a second-string of higher ranking civilians who were recently filled in on the happenings. They were going to ensure the Underground kept running well while the others were on their mission.

Previously a vet, a kind woman named Amelia took to treating the citizens of the Underground when they came down with a cold or flu. She was stepping up to take over Garth’s place and tend to the crops as well as any other medical emergencies. A gruff, teddy bear of a man, named Benny (who Dean had become good friends with in the market place previously) had an military background and other _special talents_ that could be used if they needed to defend, along side his partner in crime, Victor.

Dean had recognized the flirty stares directed his way by a woman named Lisa, and blatant sexual comments from a woman named Pam. He ignored it, because the two were great at organizing and planning and would make sure everything went smoothly and was kept in order. Apparently, they also had stomachs of steel, because they’d be looking over HQ and taking care of the...dead body thing.

No one was really sure what Becky did, but apparently she was a friend of Charlie’s and she would vouch for her being let in on the story.

So the second string was relaxing and chatting along with everyone else, and the table was over a dozen strong.

Jo was going to be kept on her toes to keep the drinks flowing tonight.

\-----------

It took no time at all for the party to be in full swing, and after too much alcohol people were beginning to group off, and the results were...interesting.

Jo and Charlie were shamelessly flirting with each other, Lisa had taken a sudden interest in Benny (as soon as she saw her attempts with Dean were hopeless, Cas displaying his dominance with a rough - borderline _pornographic_ \- kiss at the table) and Pam and Tessa were avidly discussing the pros and cons of psychic abilities. Apparently, they were both the philosophical drunks?

But the strangest thing was... even though Amelia was _undeniably_ Sam’s type (and she was trying her hardest to win over Sam's attention through intelligent discussion and a low-cut neckline), his focus was much more on  _Gabriel_.

Of _all_ people.

Dean didn’t know whether to be fascinated or disgusted when Gabe started playing with Sam’s hair and he didn’t pull away. This was a mind-boggling turn of events.

Cas must have noticed Dean’s face as he glanced up from his cards and whispered, “I think Sam is quite intoxicated.”

“He has to be, because nothing about _that_ is right.” Dean grumbled and announced, “I’ll raise a shot,” to those still playing.

Which was now only Charlie, Victor, Meg, Anna, Cas and himself. Gabe and Sam were still sitting there, but decided to opt out of the poker game and Dean thought it was most likely because they’d rather focus on each other.

Gross.

Garth had taken the obvious quite well, because he was actually pacing himself and began talking to Amelia about the green house and biology and stuff Dean couldn’t give two shits about.

Dean decided he liked Victor a lot and found their bantering brought out an easy friendship.

Hell, even _Meg_ liked the guy, which was saying something.

Considering Charlie and Victor were the only ones fully human, they were keeping up with the non-humans and Dean attributed that to their strong poker faces.

And dammit, if he hadn’t thrown a few hands so he could get nice and drunk and have an excuse to cuddle up against Cas.

He thought Meg was probably thinking along the same lines, because she had thrown caution to the wind and wrapped her arm around Anna.

“Am I the only single dude here?” Victor glanced at Jo with an eye roll.

“You’re just the only one with self-respect who isn’t desperately sneaking companionship in the end times,” Jo winked at him, and set another beer in front of him.

The blonde yelped as Charlie pinched her ass and swatted her, “Hey! I didn’t say it was a bad thing!”

“I’ll raise you a shot that Garth strikes out and there will be an opening with Amelia, soon,” Dean teased, noticing that Garth was two seconds away from spilling a drink on her.

“Nah, man, wouldn’t want to take sloppy _thirds_ ,” he laughed. “After your brother _and_ Garth, I don’t want to be the desperate last choice.”

“Hey, I think you’re a hottie. If I wasn’t attached to this ginger, I’d be all over that hot chocolate,” Meg purred, and didn’t even have the decency to look guilty with Anna right there next to her.

“Thanks?” Victor tossed his hand in the center, “I fold this round.”

Jo refilled his shots glass, “Get it, big boy.”

“So much sexual tension in the room.” Dean tilted his head from where it was relaxed on Cas’ shoulder and lazily grinned, “Myself, included.”

“Get a room!” Gabe playfully sneered at him.

“I’d say the same for you, but no. Please, don’t.”

Sam’s face flushed red, but didn’t have the desire to detach himself from where Gabe was practically sitting in his lap.

“Upgrade from Ruby,” Anna commented over to the pair, and everyone erupted laughing.

“Hah!” Dean held his stomach from where it was starting to cramp up in his laughing fit, “I guess I can’t argue with her, there.”

“Guys!” Sam was getting redder by the second.

Even Cas was giggling, throwing back another shot after he folded, too.

“Let’s get out of here, I don’t like the peanut gallery,” Gabriel recognized Sam’s discomfort immediately and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from where it was sitting on the table, “We’ll continue our own drinking game elsewhere.”

No one could quite believe it when Sam followed.

They all stared, chuckles slowly simmering down when Jo shrugged, “I’ll get a new one from the back, I guess.”

“The hell?” Dean whispered to Cas, “Is this real life?”

“I’m going to assume that’s rhetorical,” Castiel’s brows furrowed together, “But you have to admit they have a bond. And although I think it’s rather tacky, Sam is probably seeking solace in my brother since he’s been removed from Ruby.”

“Not as profound as our bond, right?” Dean winked at him, “But yeah, it’s weird. I agree with Anna it’s a good thing. And cheers to my bro, but... I hope he’s not just using him like you say? Holy fuck, I never thought I’d be defending Gabe like this?!”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Cas leaned in and gave Dean a quick peck on the cheek, “Glad you see you’re getting along well with the in-laws.”

“Oh God,” Dean ran a hand through his hair, “It’s like a giant, massive incest gang-bang in here.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, brother?” Benny called from over his shoulder.

“See what I mean?!” Dean demanded with a grin, “Joanna, shot please!”

“Must you be so crass?”

“One of the things you love about me.”

Jo groaned and poured not just Dean, but Cas a shot, too, “Both of you, please get drunk and then leave to fuck each other’s brains out. This is getting to be too much.”

“We don’t need alcohol to engage in sexual-”

“Cas!” Jo chided and pointed to the glass. “Shot. Go.”

With innocent eyes, Cas looked at Dean who just nodded, “Come on, Cas. I’ve barely got a buzz.”

“If you insist, Dean.”

“You bet your sweet ass, I do.”

\------------

Sam had never been a pro at poker, but he did admit to throwing a couple hands if only to speed up the process of getting drunk. What could he say? He was drowning his sorrows, yeah, but he was also getting a little bit of liquid courage when it came to Gabriel.

It was the strangest thing. When he arrived in the Underground the first person he’d met had been Gabe. Maybe it was because of the kindness he showed, or the snarky optimism, but he found an easy friendship and felt himself drawn in. Sure, he loved Ruby, but for some reason the sarcastic man had managed to wiggle, no, scratch that _shimmy_ , his way into Sam’s life. He kind of really liked it.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized it made sense. He, Ruby, and Gabe were all parts to a whole... so the draw he felt to the man was just fate. Who was he to get into the way of fate, right _?_

“So,” Gabe took a pull from the bottle and passed it to Sam, “How ya holding up, kid?”

Sam raised an eyebrow but took a chug all the same. “Let me get this straight, you wanted to leave the party so you could play _therapist_?”

“You know, that could be a very fun role-play, I could ask about all your fantasy and help you fix them,” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “But, seriously. First, I wanna know if you’re okay. I know this is a lot of shit to deal with, and we’re reaching the final countdown. Where’s your head at?”

Sam hadn’t given the bottle back to Gabe yet, so he made the decision to take another drink, “I’m ready. I mean, I feel ready, you know? As much as I can. I don’t know how we’re going to do up there, and I’m scared about who we’re going to lose, but for the first time in a long time I think we have a chance.”

“Yeah,” Gabe didn’t give him the option of anymore chugging, so he stole the whiskey away. “Do I have to mention the ‘R’ word? I know you were pretty damn upset above ground, ya know.”

“She’ll be all right,” Sam answered way too quickly to fully believe it himself. “She has to be. She’s strong, and she’s been able to survive this long, right? We’ll be up there soon enough.”

The shorter man nodded and kicked back, “All very diplomatic. But if that’s as far as you wanna go, I’m not gonna push.”

“You wanna talk about feelings?” Sam raised an eyebrow.

“Pfftt,” he waved a hand around, “I don’t wanna _talk_ about them, but I’ll sure as hell _listen_ , kiddo.”

“I think I’m good, actually.” He shrugged, “Being here with you is a good distraction.”

“Distraction, huh?” Gabriel’s face was unreadable but his focus was on the bottle, running his hands over it to keep his movement occupied.

“Wrong answer?” Sam ventured a guess as he reached up and covered one of Gabriel’s hands with his own.

“Meh, better answer would have been ‘being here with you is amazing because it makes my heart beat fast and my loins catch fire.'” He grinned and tugged the bottle out of Sam’s grip to take one more, final sip. “But ya know, we can’t always have what we want.”

“I want you.” Sam blurted, then slapped his hand over his mouth.

“Ohh, Sammy, Sammy, Sammy.” Gabe stood up and patted him on the head, “Seems the blackout’s comin' in hot. You can stay here tonight, don’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow-”

“Stop!” Before he knew what he was doing, he’d reached out and yanked on Gabriel’s wrist. “I mean, I’m a little drunk, yeah, but not blacked out or anything. Sorry, I just... Shit. You know I like you, Gabe, like, _a lot_. I’m not fucking with you right now and I don’t want you to go.”

Gabriel’s lips formed a pursed line while he was sucked in by the draw of Sam’s puppy face, “You’re two seconds away from demolishing my self-control. You know that, right?”

“Good,“ Sam’s face lit up with a smile, “So...it’s been two seconds.”

“You little shit,” Gabe’s smirk came back full force and wasted no time tackling Sam to his bed with a surprising amount of strength. “I’m gonna kick your ass if you don’t remember this tomorrow.”

“Not gonna happen,“ Sam’s mouth latched onto Gabriel’s and then pulled away to mutter, “I’d kick my ass, too.”

\--------------

As it turned out, Victor _did_ hit it off with Amelia. To the point where they eventually left together. Jo and Charlie high-fived, their matchmaking skills unbeatable, and even Meg was grinning at the turn of events. Garth spilled a grand total of four drinks on unsuspecting people and only got smacked once. Which was understandable, because it was all over Tessa’s _white_ shirt. The reaper couldn't believe this was what her life had turned into. Although, she was too drunk to care.

People were dwindling down and stumbling to their rooms. Before long, it was Jo, Charlie, Cas and Dean left gathered around the table.

The cards were put away, but all four were passing a bottle around, not letting it go to waste at the end of the night. Jo finally had finished her bartender duties and was throwing back the alcohol like a fish in water, because it was finally her chance to catch up. Sure, she had sneaked a shot here and there while running between refill after refill, but it hadn't done much but give her a light buzz. She was making up for lost time.

“Mm, I can see why you all rely on alcohol so much,” Cas admitted from where his head was resting on his palm.

Dean giggled at the dopey smile on the man’s face and nodded.

“This is like a double date, never thought I’d see the day,” Jo winked across the table. "I used to be so fuckin' intimidated by you, Cas. Now that I see you all gooey over my best friend, gotta say, the mystery's fading."

“Yeah, who’d have thought when we were kids _this_  was where we’d end up,” Dean mused, frowning after a particularly large gulp, then poked their 'fearless leader' in the cheek. "Sorry for wrecking the illusion, angel face."

“Pshh, just be glad we’ve made it this far,” Charlie snatched the bottle for herself and snickered. “I love you guys.”

“Damn, you’re drunk, Charlie,” Jo ruffled her hair, “Wanna go to bed before I have to carry your ass?”

“Not yet,” she tipped the bottle back and drew out a soft, “Mm, I love liquor. And I’d love to go to bed, if that’s code for you telling me I can-”

“All right, all right! Come on, champ!” Jo ducked under her arm to pull her to her feet, “'Kay, good night boys. We’ll see you tomorrow!”

“But I wanted more draaanks, babe!” Charlie groaned as they both nearly tripped over a random chair on their way out.

“Shh, you’ve had enough.”

“Ugh, fine, as long as I get your-”

“Charlie! Wait until we’re alone, _please_!”

“Okaaay, baaabe.”

Dean snorted as he watched the two narrowly avoid three more wipe-outs before smiling at Cas. “Think we can finish the rest of this bottle?”

“Is that a challenge, Dean?” Cas raised an eyebrow, “In that case, I accept.”

\-----------

There was nothing romantic or elegant about the way Dean tumbled and drunkenly tackled Cas to the mattress the moment they got to the bedroom. Nor the way he nuzzled into his neck instead of covering him in hot, seductive kisses. But it didn’t bother Castiel at all. In fact, he eagerly followed suit and responded with nestling in turn, and soft butterfly kisses across Dean’s jawline, giggling in the process.

The mood was light and playful and their heads were floating above the current of alcohol consuming their bodies.

More than anything, however, they were drunk on each other.

“Mm,” Dean moaned as he pulled Cas’ shirt off and clung to the other’s body heat. “You’re like a fuckin’ furnace. Didn’t know a furnace could be so damn sexy.”

“Nor did I.” Castiel couldn’t help but roll Dean to his back and lazily grind against him, “But I’m not complaining in the slightest.”

“You _never_ complain,” Dean leaned up to nip at his bottom lip, “You sure you weren’t a saint instead of ‘n angel?”

“I’m pretty sure I’d know,” he captured his lips and kissed him thoroughly.

“Wish I coulda seen it,” Dean abruptly stopped, and took a second to stare directly into the pools of blue above him. “Meg said you were a sight for sore eyes, and I’m not gonna lie. I’m kinda jealous. ‘Cus you already are, ya know. A sight for sore eyes. And stuff.”

Cas laughed, “Well, if it makes you feel any better, if you were to lay eyes on my true form as a human, I would have burned your eyes _out_.”

Dean’s mouth opened and closed a few times before his glare narrowed, “Way to ruin the mood and me being romantic, Cas.”

Nothing could keep him from laughing, “I appreciate the sentiment,” he kissed Dean again, “Please, continue to be romantic.”

“Done. Murdered. Moving on.” Dean emphasized his point with a few slaps to Cas’ backside. “Feel free to take these off, sir.”

“Since you asked so nicely.”

Soon, there was a pile of clothes scattered about on the ground, after drunken fumbles and multiple attempts at discarding them. There would probably be a few unexplained bruises and scratch marks from the process the next morning, but neither cared or would remember.

They were too lost in the touch of sweat and the glide of skin against skin. There were no thoughts, nothing to analyze and they simply thrived on the feeling of flesh and the thrumming of grace between them.

“You drive me crazy,” Dean found himself on top and rolled his torso down to lick a line across Cas’ collar bone, “Always want you so bad.”

“You’ll always have me,” the dumbest grin Dean had ever witnessed was slapped on Cas' damn beautiful face and he didn’t have the heart to wipe it off with more kisses.

So he cupped the sides of his face and just smiled back, rocking their hips together and took the time to simply watch.

He watched the fire ignite and a whimper escape his lips, as Dean took full advantage of rutting them together.

“Mm,” Dean flicked his tongue across the man’s bottom lip, his eyes still open and observing before quickening the pace, “I love you.”

Dean didn’t think Cas’ smile could get any wider, but it did, as he gasped out a, “I love you, too,” punctuated with the rhythm of their thrusts.

“Didn’t mean to,” the angel admitted, and nipped at Dean’s cheek, “It’s probably an unwise tactical choice, but I don’t give a shit.”

“I’m a bad influence on you,” Dean chuckled, and covered his mouth in a deep kiss.

Cas wrapped his arms around Dean’s shoulders tightly and knocked him over until he was flat on his back, “We’re the good team so we have, in your words, a ‘free pass.’”

Dean grabbed his wrists before he could produce his air quotes and started laughing all over again.

“Dude, it’s no wonder we never have drunk sex. I can’t take you seriously for two seconds.”

“Yes. It seems to be a problem.” Cas attempted to school his features, very badly, Dean might add, “All right. Serious time begins now.”

Dean dramatically and deliberately froze his entire face and body from where he was pinned, in order to follow the direction, and Cas raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. It appears we _are_ terrible at this.”

Cas decided to poke and prod Dean in the side a few times, until his resolve broke down into another fit of giggles. It was a strange sight: two fully grown, naked men engaged in an off-kilter tickling match. Dean realized just _how_ ridiculous it all was and then captured his mouth in one final attempt.

“I mean it, though. I love you.”

Looking into his eyes again, Dean felt it from the bottom of his heart, right into his damn _soul_. And that was all the motivation he needed. He knew it before, but in this moment he couldn’t think of anything besides how much he did fucking _love_ this man. It was all-consuming, there was nothing that even came close to it. It was stronger than lust, stronger than fear, stronger than anything.

And dammit, if he wasn’t going to show him.

He surged forward and didn’t think twice about the growl in his throat as he grabbed onto Cas’ hips above him and crashed them together. Cas threw his head back and moaned as their bare erections rubbed together with the slick of precum, gripped tight between their bodies. Dean shifted and took advantage of Cas’ enraptured state, he tugged him between his legs, bending his knees as he wrapped one around Cas’ waist.

“We’re not totally hopeless,” Dean mumbled against the exposed length of his lover’s neck and tenderly bit a few kisses along the expanse.

“Not at all,” Cas rolled his hips down a bit more, so he was fucking into the crease of Dean’s thigh while he wrapped his hand around the man’s cock. “Especially with an incentive like this.”

Dean was breathless as he thrust into Cas’ fist, squirming around to get more leverage. Although, it was his idea to take Cas apart, the tables were turning as Cas’ fingertips brushed nimbly across his entrance.

He was about to lose it when Cas whispered, in the most sinful, husky voice, “Tell me what you want, Dean.”

Knowing his words were going to come out shaking, he opted to arch into the touch, hopefully Cas would take pity on him and keep going.

“Dean?”

No such luck.

“Want you inside me,” it was slightly muffled into the mop of Cas’ hair from where he was placing gentle kisses across his chest, all while stoking his dick, “Want your tongue, your fingers, all of you.”

Cas looked up and smiled, his eyes mischievous yet full of adoration, “You love me fucking you however I can, don’t you?”

Dean could feel a flush extend over his entire body, but he swallowed and nodded, “Fuck yeah, I do. You gonna make me beg, or something?”

“I’ll happily give it to you,” Cas dipped two fingertips just barely into Dean, before shifting down his body, kissing the entire way. “I love tasting you, Dean.”

He could never get over how Cas said his name, almost like he was being worshiped. It set him on fire just as much as Cas spreading his legs apart.

Dean gasped as Cas took one of his balls into his mouth and sucked barely long enough to pull a moan from Dean before focusing his attention downward. He tangled his fingers in Cas’ dark locks, looking for something to ground him the second the man’s tongue licked a long strip all the way down to the cleft of his ass.

He kept lapping at the wet flesh and Dean thought he was going to go crazy with every flick of his tongue. Cas was teasing, licking and sucking along every inch of flesh _besides_ where Dean wanted. With a whimper, Dean rocked his hips forward, hoping Cas would just take pity on him. But still, Cas’ hand reached out and squeezed along the globe of Dean’s ass, his thumb trailing between the cheeks with the same teasing pressure as his tongue.

Apparently, Dean’s fists had a mind of their own, from where they were gripping Cas’ hair, and yanked him until the man’s face was _buried_ between his legs. If that wasn't a hint, Dean didn’t know what the fuck was.

Cas had the nerve to chuckle and the vibration sent another shiver through Dean’s body.

Dean moaned with abandon as he finally felt the man’s tongue plunge inside him. The teasing was over - this was simple, rough tongue-fucking at its finest.

He was greedy in the way he lapped at him from the inside, trying to get deeper and deeper. Dean could feel the dull bite of fingernails on his side and rear where Cas was trying to find purchase and get the best possible angle he could to eat him out.

Every time he pulled away, Dean’s breath would catch in his throat. Then after Cas swirled his tongue around the pucker and plunged back in, he would be overcome with pleasure all over again. At some point, Cas’ hands had shifted - because Dean nearly jumped when he felt two fingers (both thumbs) slip past the tight ring of muscle, already dripping in saliva.

Two fingers was one thing, and while Dean was used to being scissored open, having the two _thick_ thumbs massaging and stretching like this was something new entirely. Cas _did_ win, lapping alongside the digits and licking even deeper than before.

He would never admit to whimpering, but the way all three things were moving and twisting in different rhythms inside him was nothing short of enthralling. Dean bucked up against the ministrations because he still wanted _more_. He was sweating, needing, and knew he was going to have to beg for it no matter what Cas had told him.

“Deeper,” he tried to voice, and it sounded so wrecked, “Cas, need you deeper.”

Cas pulled one of his thumbs out without hesitation, but didn’t slow down his pace.

Dean nearly cried out when two more fingers dove inside him with hardly more resistance than the last. With the thumb rubbing against his rim, Cas’ tongue still eagerly lapping, the two fingers plunged all the way inside and didn’t stop there. They kept pumping in and out, the friction and the stretch leaving Dean’s mouth dry.

He writhed and bucked into the assault, and made himself let go of Cas’ hair before he ended up ripping it out on accident. He was getting lost in the sensation, impossibly so when another finger entered him. And that's when Cas moved his mouth from his ass to his cock.

Cas swallowed him down completely in one go.

“Fuck!” Dean’s entire lower body flew off the bed, and while he willed himself to calm down it was _so_ damn difficult,being deep-throated and filled to the breaking point on your unbelievably sexy fallen angel’s fingers.

“Cas, Cas, _Cas_ -” he swallowed and tried to control his breathing. “If you’re gonna fuck me, you need to get on that because I don’t know how much longer I’m gonna last here.”

The man merely shot him a smirk and sucked the head of his dick with the perfect amount of pressure before popping off. He didn’t slow the speed of his fingers yet, just shifted them enough to pull Dean up until he was sitting at the same level as Cas.

Dean let himself be tugged and fell into Cas’ chest, then immediately bit down on his shoulder and sucked marks into his skin, groaning, “I’m not kidding you’re gonna make me-”

Cas pulled out and spit on his hand enough to coat his cock before pulling Dean further to him, “Not yet.”

Being man-handled the way Cas did it to him was one of the biggest turn-ons in the world. Dean had never known anyone could throw him around the way the angel could, and the show of power made his cock throb in arousal. So when Cas physically lifted him up, just enough for the head of his dick to press against Dean’s hole, and ordered, “Then ride me and make _yourself_ come,” Dean didn’t know which way was up.

Their lips came together passionately as Dean shifted in Cas’ lap and slowly slid down on his cock. Dean would never get tired of how perfect he felt inside him, and when he was fully seated  he took a second to pull away and grab Cas’ face to look him in the eyes.

He shuddered and took in the vibrant blue and everything perfect about his lover. Everything he would never get enough of. Even though he couldn’t put his feelings into words like a damn poet (he’d never been good at that) he could at least _try_.

“ _Cas_ ,” his voice was betraying him again and sounded a little choked.

“Dean?” He titled his head, concern blooming quickly on his face - never mind the fact that he was currently _balls deep_ inside the other man. “Are you all right?”

 _Heh, only Cas_.

“Yeah,” Dean rocked with the smallest roll of his hips, just to prove the point, “I’m all right. I’m more than all right. I’m happy, you’re fuckin’ amazing. God, I don’t know if it’s the booze but I can’t get over how _much_ I’m all right.”

“Mm,” Cas’ hands around Dean’s waist pulled him down even further, grinding inside him even deeper, “That makes me happy.”

“ _You‘re_ the reason,” Dean lifted himself just enough to slam back down and pull a gasp out of the other man, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He began rocking up into Dean’s body, his breath’s becoming ragged. Cas couldn‘t form words when Dean _moved_ and began riding him fast. He wrapped his arms around Cas’ shoulders and kissed him breathless while he sank up and down on his cock.

The tight heat of Dean and the desperate kisses had Cas nearly tumbling over, so he had to grapple to wrap his arms around Dean’s waist when the other man took control. He’d only meant to tease and get Dean riled up when he suggested him taking over, but now Cas was getting lost in every single thrust. He never wanted this moment to end.

When Cas reached to take Dean in hand, it was smacked away with the order of, “I will cum on your cock,” which he accented it with a specifically hard slam down, “And _just_ your cock.”

Cas was completely lost in the motion, like he was being carried away from his body and merging with Dean completely. He didn’t know where he ended and Dean began. He was getting dizzy on the feeling, getting _so close_.

A sharp, startled moan sounded next to his ear, and that’s when Cas knew that Dean was just as close as he was. He memorized the position and started pounding up into Dean harder and faster than before. More than anything, he craved to hear Dean scream his name, to clench around him and give Dean the most mind-blowing orgasm of his life.

The noises became strangled gibberish and it took no time at all until Dean reached his breaking point. He came, squeezing tight around Cas’ cock, kissing him full on the mouth while he rode the aftershocks with the rolls of his hips.

Cas greedily accepted the kisses and spilled hot and hard into Dean’s body.

He muttered over and over again against Cas’ mouth, “need you,” until the rhythm slowed down and they collapsed against on another.

Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean’s back and drew lazy circles against the clammy flesh. When he kissed him, he tasted of salt, and he lapped against the flavor leisurely. Dean laughed and squirmed from the pressure, then pulled away just enough to tilt his chin and crane his neck back to kiss Cas with endless affection.

“Think I just sweat out all the alcohol,” Dean mumbled, and sucked Cas’ bottom lip. “Best kinda detox.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Cas playfully pumped his pelvis upward into Dean one more time and both shivered from their overly sensitive parts.

“Huh,” a thought popped into Dean’s head, and he couldn’t help but laugh breathlessly.

Cas looked confused as he asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothin’.” But the glare immediately had Dean gulping and finishing with, “First time for everything, ya know.”

“We’ve done all this entail-”

“ _Lovemaking_ , Cas.” Dean blushed and gave the side of Cas’ face a playful pat, trying to avert how embarrassed he felt, “This was... definitely my first, real time.”

If Cas couldn’t hold himself back from kissing Dean stupid, neither of them cared. And if, angel grace and demon blood be damned, they both actually slept that night, neither would tell a soul.


	20. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Shit, Benny, you’ve been my friend down here for a hell of a long time. You make the best gumbo in the market place-”_
> 
> _“-the only gumbo in the market place,” Benny interrupted with a smart-ass smirk._
> 
> _“What I was sayin’,” Dean rolled his eyes, “I was a hunter. I know good people, I know bad people, and you’re damn good people. So, if Cas is trusting you enough to let you and Victor take up defense while we’re gone why not ask if you can go up with us?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

Gabriel awoke the next morning to find himself in a positions he hadn’t found himself in for quite a long time. In bed. With another person. In normal circumstances, he'd have left before he had a chance to fall asleep or kicked them to the curb already. However, when he rolled over on the white cotton sheets...he remembered _why_.

Oh, yes. As if that lovely muscled body wasn’t enough to do it, then it was the rest of the package.

He giggled as he made the pun in his head and began stretching his sore muscles.

“Gabe. I can feel you gawking.” The lump only partially under the covers grumbled.

Just the mention of the word ‘gawking’ was more than the encouragement he needed. Sam’s long, muscled legs were exposed and tanned in contrast to the rumpled linens of the bed. Wistfully, Gabriel had remembered what a treat it had been to be wrapped up in them last night.

He wondered how exactly that happened, actually. Yes, there was alcohol. But there hadn’t been quite enough to intoxicate someone with angel and demon blood into belligerence. Still, he had a nagging feeling that contrasted the joy in his gut, because good things like this didn’t just _happen_. Which is why he turned to his normal defense mechanism and chose to ignore any heart-to-hearts.

“Just wishin’ we still had cameras, so I could take a sexy pic of you for my wallet before I go off to war.”

“Oh my God.“ Sam rolled around and couldn’t help laughing, “One: we don’t even have wallets. Two: last time I checked, I’m going off to war _with_ you.”

Gabriel took note of how the toned abs flexed with every chuckle from Sam, but tried once again not to ‘gawk.’ But it was really fucking hard, all right?

“Can’t I just pretend to be a noble soldier? I did that once before, ya know. Good ol' World War Two. The letters were fun. Wanna do that? I just want the romance.” Gabriel dramatically flopped back down next to him and got cozy. “Or at least some dirty talk.”

He wasn’t pushed away as he cuddled up to Sam. Quite the opposite, actually. Sam lowered his arm like it was the most natural thing in the word, to drag Gabriel back in even closer, before shooting him a halfhearted, bitchface.

“Sure. First thing we do above ground - visit the nearest stationary shop. Then write dirty letters to each other and deliver them via carrier pigeon,” Sam rolled his eyes, but there was no real annoyance behind them.

“I probably have enough juice to throw together a spell to give Garth wings or something. He seems bird-like.” Gabriel flapped a hand in front of his face and winked, “Beak and tail feathers, the works.”

An explosive laugh filled the room and Sam couldn't help himself, or Gabe riding the waves of Sam’s laughter from his spot on his chest. “If all else fails, you can probably just confuse and _punchline_ the Trilogy to death. Jack of all trades, Gabe.”

“I’ll Jack _your_ Trades,” he quirked a simply devious smirk and nipped playfully at Sam’s shoulder. “Whatcha say to that, Sammy?”

\----------

Cas and Dean walked into the main room to find chattering and the obvious signs of ‘passing on the torch' between their team to the group stepping up in their absences. The two men didn’t have to do much about it, since it was already underway and their main focus was getting the necessary things ready for departure.

It was all a blur of donning those ugly black cloaks and unassuming garb and putting together selections of all the weaponry they could carry and conceal. Which wasn’t much if they wanted to remain undetected, and it made Dean worried.

Castiel assured him there would be more waiting at their contact’s residence, they only need as much as what would be required for personal protection en route. There were nervous butterflies in his stomach, but he knew for a while this time was coming and the time was now. The best way to get rid of the nerves would be to get it out, turn it into energy and _do_ something.

Tackling that river again may be a blessing in disguise. If anything could drain him of this anxiety and misplaced adrenaline, it’d be that damn river.

Cas could see his apprehension and tried to calm Dean through casual touches, as much he could without coddling. He knew Dean wouldn't hesitate to call him out on it if it was too much.

Thankfully, Dean seemed to appreciate it more than become annoyed by it. This was a heavy burden of a task in front of them, and at least they had one another. It was something they could take solace in.

He was still pleasantly buzzing from the previous night and he had to restrain himself from winking at Cas. One of his special talents these days was to distract the man and he knew today he needed to be on his best behavior. That didn’t stop him from grabbing his rear a few times, or brushing kisses along the length of his neck when he was speaking into his ear.

It was hard to keep his hands to himself, especially when all he really wanted to do was shove Cas into the nearest wall and kiss the man breathless.

Clearly, he needed to pull himself away and direct his antsy nerves somewhere else.

Dean joked casually with Sam and honestly felt better teasing him about Gabriel. Which he did. Extensively. Dean would hardly give Ruby the decency of saying her name, let alone acknowledging a relationship between her and his brother, but Gabe - Gabe he could do. He loved the way Sammy blushed bright red and smacked him hard in the arm while he hissed at him to shut up.

But how could he not tease?

Gabriel was playing it up just as much, pinching Sam’s butt and sexually harassing him every chance he could.

But Dean also saw Gabe steal a kiss that Sam _definitely_ didn’t look opposed to.

 _Huh_. Dean thought. _Would ya look at that._

“I think Sammy’s in love,” he whispered to Cas, who was hunched over a map, completely oblivious to everything going on around them.

“Excuse me?” He snapped out of his daze.

“Act casual, but look over to the hallway. Don’t think they know people can see them,” Dean wiggled his eyebrows.

Of course, Cas didn’t take the hint of acting casually. Dean should have known it wasn’t in the angel’s vocabulary, but the look on his face was priceless when he looked back at Dean, eyes wide.

“I honestly did not see that coming,” he said thoughtfully. “Hopefully Ruby doesn’t throw another tantrum. We’ve come to learn those usually entail assassination attempts. Although, I don’t think Gabriel would die that easily.”

“Are you calling me a wimp?!” Dean looked almost offended, placing a hand on his chest dramatically. “Breakin’ my heart, Cas.”

“I’m calling you nothing of the sort. However, Gabriel has many impressive things on his resume. Archangel. Trickster. Pagan God. I hardly think he’d be taken down by someone like Ruby.” He smiled as he caught sight of the two in the hallway chatting, “In addition, Gabriel is fiercely loyal. And, no doubt, has more creative rage and sinister potential than Ruby ever could.”

“Uh,” Dean said dryly, looking between the two angelic siblings. “You do realize you’re not really making a good case for him. I _am_ protective big brother status and you’re kinda making it sound like he’s the devil.”

“But the devil is Lucifer.” Castiel looked puzzled at the statement. “And although they may both be archangels, they are not interchangeable-”

Dean shut him up with his mouth, which he knew by now was the best way to cut Cas off. “Never mind, babe, never mind.”

He tilted his head, like there was something he wanted to say. Instead, he nodded cautiously and turned his attention back to his maps.

This was another one of the times Dean had to yell at himself to focus and not kiss the adorable angel stupid again.

“Ughh,” Charlie crashed into Dean from behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I think I’m still dying. Is it possible to still be hungover this long?”

“It’s already afternoon!“ He laughed as he felt nearly all her body weight sink against him. “Aww, baby’s first beer?”

“Suck it, Winchester, not all of us have the luxury of being part angel and demon. Some of us have to nurse our hangovers the normal way. By sobbing and puking our lives away into a toilet.”

“I hope Jo was at least there to hold your hair,” he laughed, and bent his knees down just enough to hike her up into a piggy back.

She buried her face into his neck, “Hold me close and never let me go.”

“I’ll give you ten minutes. After that, you’re on your own.”

Cas appeared amused at their antics but almost instantly looked embarrassed because of how easily he was distracted by anything Dean did. He knew he was supposed to be planning and leading rather than watching the dramatics of his subordinates.

Dean could tell he was in the zone so began walking around aimlessly with Charlie clinging to his back, “So tell me you at least got some action last night?”

“Yep. Totes worth it,” she sighed dreamily, and he could feel the warm puff of air at his nape. “Mmk, this is nice. I feel like I’m an infant being rocked to sleep in her mother‘s papoose.”

“Oh yeah?” Dean maliciously added a jarring spring to his step, “Rock and roll, girl.”

“Ah! Stop, I’m gonna vom all over you!” She flicked him in the cheek and then struggled to be put down, “Well, it was nice while it lasted.”

He spun around to face her and poked her in the nose, leaning in close, “That’s what you get for being a clingy smart ass.”

Her pout was adorable, and the picture-perfect little sister face. “Whatever. So...I guess the time is now, huh?”

“Yeah,” he shoved his hands in his pockets and offered her a small smile, “We’re gonna kick ass, Char.”

“I don’t doubt it for a second.” A slightly mischievous smirk took over her face. “You’re gonna meet our _informant_.”

“Why do I hate the way that sounds?” Dean shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

“He’s one of a kind, that's for sure.” She giggled and clapped him on the shoulder, leaning a bit more for support after she stumbled. “It’s either gonna be love or hate. Nothing in between.”

“Well, that’s awkward, because I’m pretty sure I’ve exceeded my love-allowance for the month _and_ my hate allowance.”

“Oo, you’ll make room for this one. BRB, gotta pack, dude.”

Yep, Dean hated the sounds of this guy.

\---------

“Whyyy!” Charlie moaned, stumbling through the door and rushing to the bathroom, “Who around here wants to start a group of three with us so we can have super special powers and not have to worry about hangovers?!”

Jo rolled her eyes as she listened to her girlfriend spew her guts into the toilet while she packed. At least Charlie still had a sense of humor.

After she heard the toilet flush, the redhead came dragging her weight back to bed and collapsed at the edge, dragging Jo with her. “How are you all right?”

She reached down just enough to card her fingertips through Charlie’s hair and hummed, “Because I’m a badass, that’s why.”

Charlie made purring noises as she crawled the rest of the way up and rested her head on Jo’s stomach, “Just...keep doing that. Pretty please.”

The girl giggled and started ruffling her hair and squeezing her cheek, “Don’t get too comfortable, we gotta be in mission mode soon, love bug.”

“Just five more minutes, please...”

Jo sat up and placed a quick kiss on her forehead, “All right, while you’re getting your last five minutes, I’m gonna hop in the shower.”

“Halt!”

She had never witnessed Charlie move so fast in her life.

“I wish to accompany you, my lady! That’s where I will spend my last five minutes!”

Jo raised an eyebrow and she began pulling her shirt over her head, “Five minutes, huh? Is this a challenge?”

“It’s whatever you’d like it to be,” Charlie pulled her close, “Just, uh, let me brush my teeth...”

\----------

Dean was sitting on the steps of HQ in his own itchy black cloak as he waited for the hustle and bustle of what was going on inside to calm down. Although he was one of the key parts in all this, they didn’t need him until he was actually above ground. At least he didn’t need to hurt his brain with the logistics and paperwork they were going through right now.

“How ya holding up, brother?”

Dean tipped his head back as Benny came into view and hunched down until he was sitting on the cement steps next to him.

“Fine. Ready to get this show on the road, I guess. You ready to hold down the fort here?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he shrugged his shoulders, “I almost wish they’d let me go with ya’ll though. I’m not just a pretty face, ya know.”

With a shrug, Dean gave Benny a look before nodding, “Yeah, I know. But it’s rough up there, man, and if the rough comes down here, you’re gonna be saving these people.”

“Eh,” Benny’s eyes never left Dean, “I’ve always been more of an offensive player than defensive. Strike 'em before they strike us. Think there’s room for one more on the team?”

“You’re really serious about this, huh? Have you asked Cas about it?” This time, Dean scooted his body to take stock of just how sincere Benny was.

And he was _damn_ sincere.

“See...” he took a deep breath, “Cas has never really liked me too much. Never really got to know me. I’ve never been in the runnin’ to be one of his ‘officers’ because ‘m not a former angel or a human with something to contribute. Suppose he’s got a little prejudice against vampires,” a wry smirk crossed his face, “no matter _how_ vegetarian. Not too happy when he found out I managed my way into the Underground. But he couldn’t really keep me out, so he gave me a chance. I earned my keep, ‘n now I wanna fight for it on the front lines.”

“Fuck,” Dean’s eyes went wide. “I knew you had ‘special talents’ I just didn’t know you were a fuckin’ vampire,” he tried to form words a few times, but finally came up with. “Shit, Benny, you’ve been my friend down here for a hell of a long time. You make the best gumbo in the market place-”

“-the _only_ gumbo in the market place,” Benny interrupted with a smart-ass smirk.

“What I was saying,” Dean rolled his eyes, “I was a hunter. I know good people, I know bad people - and you’re damn good people. So if Cas is trusting you enough to let you and Victor take up defense while we’re gone...why not ask if you can go up with us? I’m guessing you haven’t even mentioned it, have you?”

The man shrugged his shoulders. “Nah, wanted to bounce the idea off you first. See if you thought it’d even be a good one.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Dean’s eyes lit up. “Shit, why wouldn’t it be? Let’s talk to Cas right now!”

A smile spread across Benny’s face as they both stood up, “Thank you, brother.”

\----------

“All right, so do you think Victor is going to be able to hold down defense on his own?” Dean asked over his shoulder as they were walking through HQ hunting for their leader.

“Aye, ‘specially with the help of Ellen and Bobby, since I know they’ll be stayin’ right?” He followed close behind, ducking along a sharp twist of a hall, “There’s another one Castiel shoulda considered to help too. Name’s Hannah. Tough woman, that one, might say she’s got the same charisma as Cas.”

“So if you come, there’s others that can help down here, is the moral of the story,” Dean stopped abruptly before going on. “But there’s no story here, right? You didn’t fuck up or anything that made him hate you. It’s just because you’re a blood-sucking minority, right?”

“Ask anyone,” Benny raised his hands in front of him.

Like clockwork, Charlie and Jo were power-walking around the corner and Dean called out to them.

“Hey! Cutest couple award!”

“Yes, runner-up?” Charlie grinned and hopped over, clearly feeling much better than the last time he'd seen her. Hell, she was glowing.

“You like Benny?” Dean asked, point blank.

“Uh,” Jo and Charlie exchanged looks, “Duh.”

“And don’t wanna go Buffy on him?”

“Oo, Buffy could be a fun role-play-”

“Charlie! Head in the game!”

“Nah, he’s good. Why, what’s going on?” Jo raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips, looking suspiciously between the two men who appeared like they were caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“Uhh, Benny wants to come on the field trip with us?” Dean tried to sound nonchalant, but it mostly came out sounding like he was asking his mom if his grade-school friend could come out to play.

“You do!?“ Charlie couldn‘t contain her glee, “I’m so totally for that! I just thought you’d wanna hang out down here, not many people want to throw themselves in the line of fire! The more the merrier! Oo does that mean we get to see your sweet vamp skills firsthand?! This is going to be so exciting!”

“Uhh,” Jo elbowed Charlie in the side, “As much as we’re all for that, doesn’t mean that Cas is gonna be all over it.”

The redhead’s face fell and Benny sighed, knowing ahead of time that was going to be one of the only things in the way.

“Dean’s the best shot you’ve got though, well played, sir,” Charlie reached up for a high-five, which Benny barely returned.

“Pfftt,” Jo rolled her eyes, “Yeah, good luck. Blackmail him. With blowjobs or something.” Jo gave both men pats on the back, “For what it’s worth, I hope it works out. I’d be happy to fight alongside you, Benny.”

As the two strolled away, Dean threw his hands in the air, “Really though, why does Cas hate you so much!?”

“Racism,” Benny answered simply, shrugging his shoulders. “Angels find monsters to be abominations without even getting to know us.”

“Rude,” Dean jammed his hands in his pockets and kept walking, “Now I’m kinda nervous.”

“Don’t be. He can’t be mad at _you_ ,” he pointed out. “Although, he could pull out a machete and end me.”

“Such an optimist. Maybe if we could actually find him, we could just get this over with.”

\----------

By the time Dean did find Cas, they had ran into Meg, Victor, Gabriel and Garth who all expressed their agreement with Benny joining them on the mission, but equally their hesitation with Cas allowing it. At this point, Dean was considering beginning a petition and overriding their leader, but second-guessing him might be worse then just talking to him and getting a no.

Even so, Dean decided it would be best to leave Benny to hang out with their friends in the gathering room when he went to talk to Cas by himself.

“Hey,” Dean was leaning in the doorway as Cas folded a piece of paper, already dressed and ready to go.

“Are you ready to depart?” He asked as he headed towards the door, but was stopped by Dean grabbing his arm.

“So I have a question.”

“Yes?” Castiel raised an eyebrow, not quite knowing how to take the inquiring expression on his lover's face. “We must be leaving soon, though.”

“Yeah, I get that. But could we add one more to our team?”

There was a hesitation, like Cas was trying to solve the mystery before he asked, “Who?”

“Uhh. Benny?” Dean hated how unsure he sounded, so he continued with, “I already know, I heard through the grapevine that you have issues with him because he’s a vampire, but everyone is really cool with him. And I trust him. I think he’d be an asset and the extra muscle we need. If he’s willing, and this is a last hurrah, why should we be keeping him in a timeout down here when he could give us more of a fighting chance above?”

“So you understood that I’d say no.” Cas crossed his arms, “Yet you’re asking me anyway.”

Dean stood firm and nodded. “I’m trying to be rational, Cas. I think it’d be better for us all if he was there.”

There was silence and it looked as if Cas was considering. Or giving Dean the silent treatment. He had no idea. But if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he hated being on the receiving end of Cas’ brewing anger. He hated knowing that it was something he did that made the man upset and he did it willingly. Cas even recognized it, and that made it even worse, somehow.

“You’re the one who’s supposed to fulfill the prophesy,” Cas’ voice was even and cold on the edges, “If you wish to have him at your side, who am I to stop you.”

Cas walked past him and left Dean alone in the room.

In the back of his mind, Dean knew the angel would get over it, that they had more important things to worry about than this little tiff. The others wanted it just as much as he did, so they’d be relieved. Hell, Benny wanted it more than _anyone._  He wanted to prove his worth and give back what he’d been given, and now he’d have the chance to prove to Cas that he was wrong. He wasn’t an abomination, as he was called.

Even if it was a victory, it sure didn’t feel like it.

\----------

There was an unspoken agreement as they left the town, all cloaked in black garb, hidden weapons, and a silence that fell over them. Cas lead the way, followed by Meg and Gabriel. Dean and Sam were sandwiched in the middle, while the others trailed behind. Benny stayed close to Dean, almost making it his personal mission to repay the favor by acting as somewhat of a bodyguard. Hell, he was more than elated when he received the news he’d been allowed to tag along.

The way out was much easier than the way in. They were able to walk along a small ledge on the side of the river (by simple torch light, mind you) to get as close to the ladder as possible. Along the ledge was a rope that could be swung over to reach the bottom rung.

It was tricky and they had to go one at a time, but Dean had to admit it was much more pleasant than diving into the river, headfirst, like before.

Although, that was something of an added safety measure.

The rope was weighted so you could only use it to exit, _not_ to enter.

The high dive was a must on the way back.

If there was a way back.

It took time, they all watched each other’s back and made sure they were all accounted for equally. It was funny, how close they’d all become and how any misplaced footstep nearly made the group’s heart skip a collective beat.

How would they even handle the battlefield if this was how they handled a simple hike?

It wasn’t until they broke the surface of the earth and Dean inhaled the first burst of fresh air, his skin pelted by desert sand, that it began to sink in.

This...was where he had wandered off to die.

This was where he was wandering back to.

This time, to _fight_.

He wondered if it would be inappropriate to grab hold of Cas’ hand now, before they were inside the town. However, the man was leading the group and he was too far ahead. Maybe Cas was still pissed at him too. Dean was a first-class pouter, himself, so he wouldn’t blame him. Dean knew his place, knew where he was supposed to be and didn’t want to disrupt the ranks.

So he looked to his right and took peace in the confident strides of his brother.

The sand was hard to trudge through, the sand storm obstructed their vision, and it was a long time before they could make out the faraway lights of the city. The lights weren’t like the welcoming, artificial lights of the Underground.

These reminded Dean of hellfire. Of burning bodies and destruction.

It was all in his past, but it opened up fresh wounds and reminded him that this had been his life. Where he had been living for nearly a decade. The _only_ existence he’d known and it was a waking nightmare. He lived in fear with his family and he’d almost been able to block it out, with the help of Cas and his new family, but now seeing this-

It all came back. Everything came back.

He faltered in his steps, and Sam knew it right away. He reached out to stabilize him and had to yell over the wind, “Dean! Are you all right?!”

He couldn’t answer him, though.

He felt a panic shake through his body and his breathing quickened.

Everyone seemed so far ahead, blocked out by the dirt and the smell and th-

A hand pressed to his shoulder, and suddenly he remembered where he was.

Dean’s head snapped to the side, and was met with the large brown eyes and slanted smirk of Meg.

“You all right there, tiger?”

“Meg?”

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and leaned in closer, “I know it sucks. And I know you wanna cry out for Cas right now. But remember -  _I’m_ on your team, too, capisce?”

And, God help him, his heart slowed down and he caught his breath.

He could even feel the slight flicker of grace brush between them, how she was _intentionally_ using it to reach out to him, and he was so damn grateful for it.

Meg smiled because she could feel it as well, through that creepy bond.

It was nothing like the bond he shared with Cas, but in that moment, he couldn’t deny that he felt a bone-deep comradely with the woman. He felt concern, he felt good intention, he felt _trust_. These were things he never thought he’d associate with Meg, but looking back..they’d had heart-to-hearts, she’d been a listening ear and a pep-talk for him multiple times when he needed it. She never wanted him to gush about his feelings, never told him to suck it up, just offered what he needed, and drew away with perfect timing.

Dammit, she _understood_ him. In a bizarre, rude, almost-close-enough-to-be-your-sister, but wanna-bang-your-boyfriend sort of way.

Maybe that’s why he kind of liked her, now. There was no one like her.

“Uh...” Dean cleared his throat. “Thanks, Meg.”

“Don’t mention it, handsome.”

Dean began walking again, feeling stronger knowing she was beside him.

Well. That was strange.

\-------

They waited on the outskirts of town behind a broken-down building before pulling off their hoods and huddling close enough for Cas to address them all. He looked around the group before explaining, “We’ll head to the safe house a few at a time, as to not to draw attention. First, I want Charlie, Gabriel and Jo to go, make sure everything is clear and that Balthazar is ready for us. Send the signal when it’s safe for the next group - then we’ll have Meg and Anna bring Dean and Sam.” He looked to the remaining men - Garth and Benny. “As soon as you’ve reached the apartment safely, we’ll follow.”

Everyone nodded, as the girls and Gabriel pulled on their hoods. All three were good at stealth mission and knew Balthazar well. The last thing they needed was him accidentally firing rock salt at an unfamiliar face.

The last round of guards were three minutes past, so there wouldn’t be another loop for probably fifteen. Castiel signaled the go-ahead and the three took off sprinting to the nearest junk heap to the south.

Then they waited.

Cas looked up very deliberated at Sam and questioned, “With your transformation? How’s your speed?”

“Excuse me?” The man looked confused.

“I sent those three first because I knew they would be the slowest. Anna’s condition disregards fatigue to her body. Dean and Meg gained speed because of the demon blood. How has it affected you?” Cas’ tone was clinical as he spoke.

“I-”

“He’s as fast as I am,” Anna answered for him, she already knew because _she_ had personally trained him _._ “Below the Trinity, but superior to the rest.”

“I figured as much,” Castiel nodded. “We shouldn’t have to wait for another round of the guards to pass. After we get the signal, you four will head out immediately.”

Dean kept his mouth shut. For the most part, he only knew about _his own_ abilities. He was still strangely irked by Sam’s because of the way he’d acquired them early on, having made the choice _himself_ to drink demon blood. But for once, Dean guessed it was helpful.

Cas peered around the corner and before long, ordered back, “All right. Meg, you lead. Keep the two men in the middle. Anna, watch for threats from the rear.”

Without so much as a ‘see you later,’ Meg took off, and Dean had no choice but to scamper and follow.

Castiel sat quietly, knowing that the hard part in this next round would be making sure Garth would go undetected. They would have to wait for the guards to pass before making their move. Speed was not on their side, nor stealth. It wasn’t as though Garth was a hindrance, he was merely _too human_.

In the midst of the waiting and watching, Cas saw the second signal announcing the other group had arrived safely and he released a breath of relief he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“I know your purposes up here.”

Benny didn’t even have to ask if Cas was speaking to him, the tone in his voice said it all.

“And what’s that?” He kept his question even and cautiously worded.

“The bloodlust. Although you were well-behaved Underground, I know it’s in your nature to crave it.” It was a simple answer.

Benny couldn’t deny it.

“You thrive in chaos. You’ve risen above it and you've done a commendable job. But we both know you’ve longed to be up here.” This time, Cas did turn around to meet Benny’s eyes, “I was hoping to keep you down there for your _own_ good, you know. Not giving you the chance to do something you’d regret. I wanted to take the temptation _away_.”

Suddenly, it made sense. In a strange way, it made sense.

“Guess I’m weaker than you thought,” he commented nonchalantly with a shake of his head. “You can’t save everyone, Castiel.”

“I thank you for fighting for us,” his gaze turned sharp. “But if you get lost in the frenzy and make one mistake - I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Garth made an audible gulp, not quite sure he should be listening this conversation, but also knowing that he had no choice.

“Hear ya loud and clear.” Benny almost smirked, “I’m not in the mood for a frenzy, just lookin’ to get the kinks out. And to protect your boy. He’s one of a kind. You got a good one there, Castiel.”

For a second, his eyes softened when he acknowledged the man’s words. “I know.”

Then, noticing the next round of guards passing, he held his hand steadily in a waiting motion before ordering in a hushed voice, “Follow me.”


	21. Insecurities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You know what I think is adorable,” Balthazar scooted up and smacked Castiel right on the ass, “When our lovely Cassie is all powered up and angelic again,” he leaned forward, “No, I lied. It’s sexy.”_
> 
> _“Balthazar,” Cas leveled a glare at his friend._
> 
> _But that’s what irritated Dean. All he did was glare, he didn’t move away. Dean grit his teeth when the blonde man even went as far as to wrap his arm around his angel’s middle and rest his head on Cas' shoulder._
> 
> _Was this revenge about Benny? Was Cas being petty over Dean undermining his authority or whatever? And here Dean had been freaking out and nervously waiting for the three of them to arrive, putting up with this annoying British dude’s commentary until Cas had gotten there and-_
> 
> _By the time Cas was nuzzled, Dean was barely containing his rage._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

Garth stumbled into the room through the windowsill as Castiel and Benny followed much more gracefully behind him to find all their comrades in different states of relaxation, having arrived at their destination.

Cas shrugged off the coat and nodded to the man in the center of the room, “In case anyone hasn’t been introduced, this is our contact, Balthazar.”

“My heart be still, the Trinity is here! And soon the Trifecta will be complete as well. Soon as I can send a message to Ruby’s fine ass,” Balthazar grabbed his chest dramatically as his gaze swept over the visitors of his residence.

“Wait,” Sam blinked owlishly, “Trifecta?”

“That’s what the neutral party is called, is it not?” Balthazar raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips. “That’s what Castiel informed me of, at least.”

“Gabe,” the tall man glared down to the snickering sound on his right, “Really? Trifecta is ‘something too difficult to remember in Latin _?!_ ’”

“Oh dear, it seems I’ve caused a fuss, now, haven’t I?” Balthazar took the coats the three new arrivals were shedding and tossed them into the pile with the others.

“You guys all  _knew_  and you kept letting him call us that?!” Sam demanded, looking outrageously at Castiel, Charlie and Jo with a bitchface of epic proportions.

Jo shrugged, “You have to admit, Threesome sounds _much_ better when it comes to you three.”

“I concur.”

“Even _you_ , Cas?!” Sam's entire demeanor was incredulous as the man shrugged his shoulders.

“Let us have our fun,” the redhead giggled. “It's adorable to see you when you’re all flustered.”

“You know what _I_ think is adorable,” Balthazar scooted up and smacked Castiel right on the ass. “When our lovely Cassie is all powered up and angelic again,” he leaned forward, “No, I lied. It’s sexy.”

“Balthazar,” Cas leveled a glare at his friend.

But that’s what irritated Dean. All he did was glare - he didn’t move away. Dean grit his teeth when the blonde man even went as far as to wrap his arm around _his_ angel’s middle and rest his head on Cas' shoulder.

Was this revenge about Benny? Was Cas being petty over Dean undermining his authority or whatever? And here Dean had been, freaking out and nervously waiting for the three of them to arrive, putting up with this annoying British dude’s commentary until Cas had gotten there and-

By the time Cas was _nuzzled_ , Dean was barely containing his rage.

“Oo, you know it gets me all hot and bothered when you’re in control. One of the reasons I was rather sad I couldn’t go Underground. But now with you up here, my loins are positively quivering.”

He still wasn’t pulling away. He didn’t even look disgusted or affronted by it, like he would when Gabriel made a lewd comment. Maybe Dean really _had_  pissed him off.

“I’m almost positive your ‘loins,’” Cas used air quotes, “are unaffected by the grace.”

“On the _contrary_ -”

“So!” Charlie cut in, knowing Dean was about to reach out and punch the man in the face, “Where is Ruby now?”

“On a recon mission, I believe,” Balthazar shrugged. “We were going to meet up tonight, so I’m sure she’ll be around.”

Sam breathed a sigh of relief, “I’m glad you guys have stayed safe.”

“AKA, you’re glad _Ruby_ is still safe. Can’t fool us, you lovesick puppy,” Meg sneered, and patted him on the back. “Sorry, Gabe, looks like their disgusting affair will be back on soon.”

Gabe shrugged, but didn’t say anything - which was a red flag and Sam knew it. Gabriel  _always_ had a snappy comeback or sarcastic one-liner to say about everything.

“You still got food in the pantry?” Jo changed the subject. Too many toes had been stepped on already, and they hadn't even headed into battle. “Wanna help me dig, Dean? Benny, you're a culinary genius, you can help too.”

Dean released his clenched fist and mumbled, “Yep. Better let you guys have your little reunion,” and not so subtly stomped off.

Castiel was oblivious, but Balthazar noticed right away and couldn’t resist making a little game out of it. After all, no one above ground was as fun as the crew he was currently hosting. And any reason to make his longtime friend, Castiel, flustered was a good reason in and of itself.

\-------

Dean was trying to relax as Jo started slamming cupboard doors and digging.

“You know he’s always like that,” the blonde commented, pulling out a dried package of pasta and staring at it for a moment before handing it off to Benny, “Flirts with everyone. Makes gross jokes. But he’s harmless, I promise.”

He leaned against the counter and snapped, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Benny scoffed because even he wasn’t that blind, “Whatever you say, brother.”

“I saw you getting all jealous out there, and I just wanted you to know there’s nothing to worry about,” Jo stood up and walked over to the fridge, smacking Benny in the arm as she went, since he wasn’t helping. “Sure, they’ve been friends so long that Cas doesn’t bat an eye at anything he says. He's used to Balthazar's own little brand of shitty humor.”

“Whatever,” Dean grumbled, ignoring every word out of her mouth. “What’s for dinner? All that hiking and sneaking made me work up an appetite!”

“There’s the Dean I know and love!”

Even if it wasn’t quite true. The demon blood and angel grace had officially nuked his hunger, but anything to change the subject was his goal. He wanted to be left alone and stew with this by himself. The last thing Dean wanted right now was the be the butt of a joke when he was honestly getting pissed off.

“So, looks like you got the go-ahead, huh?” Jo directed her attention over to Benny who was arranging ingredients on the table.

“Yeah, thanks to Dean.” He gave him a literal tip of the hat.

“Did he give you any shit?” Dean hopped up on the kitchen counter, “I think he’s giving me the silent treatment, or something.”

“He talked to me. It was one of those ‘you try something, I kill you,’ chats, but nothing more than that. I don’t think he’s that upset. Seemed like he thought I’d be able to help a little,” he commented absently, even if it wasn’t the whole truth. He did know that Castiel knew of his strength and would rather have him as a teammate than an enemy.

“He’s not giving you the silent treatment, Dean,” Jo added, “You’d _know_ if he was pissed at you, trust me. I’ve been on the receiving end of that once and it’s not fun.”

“Haven’t we all,” Benny laughed and tried to give Dean a comforting smile.

But it didn’t work. Because if Cas _wasn’t_ mad at him, what the hell was all this Balthazar crap about?

\-------

Dean tried to keep himself in the kitchen and help Jo and Benny throw together something decent for the group. Benny wandered out a little later to find some old dishes that Balthazar had somewhere tucked away in another room, so _that_ was going to be a scavenger hunt. Helping in the kitchen didn’t mean he didn’t tilt his head out into the living room where people were planning, talking and that fucker was _still_ hanging off Cas.

As far as he knew, Cas was unaware and didn’t pay him any heed, but it still rubbed Dean the wrong way.

Where did this guy get off? Why wasn’t Cas saying anything? Even though they hadn’t explicitly said it, they were together, weren’t they?

Cas wasn’t like that - he was an _angel_ for God’s sake!

Although, once his brain slammed to a halt after that concept, he realized that Balthazar was _also_ an angel... And that turned the tables, a bit.

Were they together in the past? Cas had said they were old friends...but with centuries of time together, what were the odds they _didn’t_ hook up? Castiel was basically a God in bed, so he had to have gotten a lot of practice.

Shit.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Jo said off-hand, stirring the pot of pasta. “You’re thinking too hard.”

Was it that obvious? He needed to put his game face back on because this was a little ridiculous.

“Yeah, sorry, zoned out there.”

“I don’t have to repeat myself, do I? The Dean I know isn’t insecure.”

“Do we have any garlic bread or shit that I need to make?”

The woman rolled her eyes, “Obviously, since this is a full stocked bachelor pad, or something. And I thought you wanted Benny to fight with us, not poison him.”

“Mm, smells good!” Charlie commented and strolled into the room.

She made her way over to Jo and set her chin on the blonde’s shoulder, “Is there anything not perfect about you? Just saying,” she placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

And, shit, if Jo wasn’t blushing. “I’m just a sous-chef, nothing fancy.”

“Charlie, you sure are good at the wooing,” Dean snickered, “I think Jo’s just finishing up, should be ready soon.”

“Why are you in here? Go socialize!” Charlie shooed, obviously wanting some alone time to mack on her girl.

“Yeah, go lay claim to your man or something. Your pining is hurting me from here,” Jo confirmed and sent him a halfhearted glare.

Dean grumbled, but knew when he wasn’t wanted. Although, he could have justified staying because Charlie had cockblocked him before. She was right though, he did need to claim his man. If only he didn’t feel so weird about the fact that he had to in the first place.

\------

Gabriel was pouting in the main room as talks of Ruby kept coming up.

It seemed to be all Sam wanted to talk about, and as much as he didn’t want to admit it...it kind of stung. He didn’t want to be the scorned lover, but it wasn’t just that one drunken night. Things had been just as heated the morning after, hell, the _afternoon_ after, and it wasn't like everything was a figment of his imagination. He's was getting some serious mixed signals, and that fact alone was grating his nerves.

He was surprised when Dean came and took a seat next to him rather than Cas. Gabriel didn’t blame him, Balthazar was practically trying to pull Castiel into his lap. It was so obvious, it was disgusting.

Dean kicked back and crossed his legs on the table, “So...dinner and then attacking at dawn, or something like that?”

“First, we need to find Ruby.” Sam explained, and didn’t notice Gabe’s frown deepen.

Yep, there it was again. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby.

Gabriel wished he could smite her.

What he didn’t quite know, was that Sam’s blood supply had ran out, and more than anything he was like a crack addict needing a fix. The jiggling of his leg wasn’t worry, it was withdrawal. However, Gabriel was too annoyed to think rationally and set his sights on being pissed off, instead. If he had taken the time to assess the situation with a level head, _like he would have a week ago_ , it would have been painfully obvious.  But that was the last thing on his mind, now that sticky things called _feelings_ were involved.

At least he now had Dean to take his annoyance out on.

“So Dean, it’s all good in the hood? No more violent puking spells?” He turned his entire body to block out Sam, thinking that may make it better.

“Yeah, surprisingly,” he answered. “I mean, I kind of feel a craving, but I’m full of energy and it’s a nice change of pace.”

“Craving?” Cas asked, furrowing his eyebrows, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation and not attempting to be subtle about it. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Sam’s eyes lit up, like that’s something he wanted to confess but didn’t have the guts to.

“Just felt gross, bringing it up,” Dean shrugged, “Felt like it’d be taken care of before we lay siege, or whatever.”

“Or you could just swap out the red wine for blood at dinner?” Balthazar suggested, “Even though it’s horrendously _disgusting_ , who am I to judge?”

“You know what’s disgusting is-”

“Food’s ready!” Charlie announced loudly from the kitchen, hearing the tension building all the way from the other room. “Come get it while it’s hot!”

The group didn’t have to be told twice and did just that - forming a strangely uniform single-file line in front of the food. Benny finally found the dishes and emerged from a room covered in dust, carrying a cardboard box that he set at the front of the table.

While Benny and Balthazar took to wiping the dust from the dishes, Cas hung back and waited for Dean. He reached out to grab his hand once he was close enough. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine,” Dean let him hold it, but didn’t make any move to squeeze back, “Just ready for some chow.”

The other looked concerned, but didn’t say anything. If there was one thing he’d learned, it was Dean would come around when he wanted to, and it was in everyone’s best interest to leave him alone until then.

Eating was a more quiet affair, everyone was trying to get in the right mindset for what tomorrow may bring. In addition, everyone was stealing glances at the door when there were voices outside or foot steps, waiting for Ruby’s arrival.

A quiet affair, meaning Dean quietly _seething_ as Balthazar wiped a stray splatter of marina from Cas’ cheek while Dean was sulking in the corner. Sure, Dean didn’t want to be the jealous, needy boyfriend, but this was proving to be too much. So he looked away and shoveled food in his mouth. It didn't even taste good and it was even harder to make himself swallow it down.

Once again, everyone was too deep into mission-mode or leader-mode to pay attention.

Before too long, there was a knock on the door and the room fell into complete silence.

“Honey, I’m home!” Came a very familiar voice and Balthazar cut Sam off before he could rush forward.

“Overzealous, are we?” He narrowed his eyes because, yeah, they didn’t know if she was alone or not. It would be suspicious if anyone else besides Balthazar opened the door.

_Common sense, Sam._

She slinked in, hands in her pockets and gave a wave after closing the door behind her, “See the crew’s all here. What’d I miss?”

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Sam stated, but Ruby knew that look in his eyes all _too_ well. “Can I talk to you really quick?”

This actually made Gabriel as irritated as Dean was, but they both watched them walk off into the direction of Balthazar’s guest room.

“Sick.” Gabriel and Dean said at the same time, but after giving each other a slight smile, went back to finishing up their food. It appeared Gabriel and Dean were more alike than they thought, happily blocking out any problems arising by using eating as a distraction. Too bad Sam wasn't there to call them out on it, he'd no doubt call it a 'bonding moment.'

Balthazar sighed dramatically, “I hope they’re not fucking on my sheets. I just washed that duvet.”

“There are more important things to worry about,” Cas grumbled and looked as if he was going to interrupt them to get things moving.

Dean intercepted him, and gave him a meaningful stare, “Now that we know she’s safe shouldn’t we go over the plan for tomorrow?”

He was all business and if his baby brother needed some alone time with the bitch, he was going to get it. Dean saw the anxiety building since her abrupt departure, and the least they could do was give them a second of space. Who knows, in Dean's perfect world, maybe he was telling her to get lost. A dude could dream.

“Y-Yes, I suppose so.”

“All right, do we need to bring out maps and figurines and do it war-style?” Gabe scooted his chair closer into the group, “By the way, where the hell are Meg and Anna?”

“Recon. They’re the most likely to remain undetected,” Garth explained. “It’s been too long since I’ve been up here to pretend to know anything about anything.”

“Yeah, hopefully Anna doesn’t blow a gasket or something,” Jo rolled her eyes, “This isn’t exactly the time.”

“We need her.” Cas left no room for discussion. “We need all hands on deck, and your lack of faith in Gabriel and Charlie’s abilities in fixing her is extremely disrespectful.”

“Yeah!” Gabriel cheered at the same time Charlie whispered, “You’re fine, babe.”

“Moving on,” Cas set his drink down on the counter top, “We have quite a few objectives. But first and foremost, kill the Trilogy. We’ll need to divide and conquer, they are going to be too much to handle all together. One thing we've been lucky about is how prideful they all are, and have, as far as we know, never combined their abilities as we've done. They are all separate, yet powerful entities and we can use that to our advantage.”

“Charlie,” Castiel addressed the redhead, “I know Kevin meant a lot to you, so I’m going to put you in charge of his rescue. Is that acceptable?”

She nodded quickly, “For sure. I’m better for the sneaky stuff, anyway. Once I have Kevin, if he’s in good enough shape, we’ll join you on the battlefield. Umm, is someone coming with me?”

“I’ll go-” Jo started, but Castiel immediately interrupted her.

“Garth and Benny will accompany you. If something were to happen to Jo, and we don’t blame you, but it would distract you and hinder the mission. You’re too invested and we can’t take that chance.”

“I’m good to watch Charlie, no biggie. And Benny can watch both of us, be our rough and tumble bodyguard,” Garth smiled at the vampire, then shrugged his shoulders before asking. “So... Who are the Trinity and Trifecta gonna target?”

“I’ve been told Sam’s abilities are demon specific?” Castiel directed his question at Gabriel, since the man in question _apparently_ had better things to be doing.

“Yeah, specific, but not exclusive.”

“While Abaddon and Crowley are both demons, I don’t know how the Purgatory souls will react to his gift,” Cas paused thoughtfully. “So I believe the Trifecta’s target should be Abaddon.”

“Works for me, I hate that bitch.” Gabriel offhandedly commented, “Plus, I’m in no rush to go head-to-head with our little brother.”

“Which is why Meg, Dean and I will be doing that for you. Hopefully, whenever that’s taken care of, we can take out Crowley - he’s not as malicious as the other two, but more manipulative.”

“Uhh, what about me?” Jo asked, looking around. “Please don’t stick me with Balthazar.”

“Yes, please, Cassie, I’d be much happier if I was with you.”

“I need you two for a special task. I know Lucifer’s been keeping the stolen graces somewhere, and after you find and release them that will help myself, Gabriel, Balthazar and maybe even Anna greatly. I have no doubt that other angels, once their grace is returned, with help us lay siege to the Empire.”

“Sounds good so far, ya know, in theory or whatever.” The redhead mumbled, “As long as nothing goes wrong. So. Not really any backups, huh? Balls to the wall?”

“Yes,” Castiel almost repeated Charlie’s words, but thought better of it. “Once our assigned tasks are completed, we can act as each others backup, if that makes you feel any better?”

“So - what’d we miss?” Ruby and Sam emerged again and the younger Winchester looked one hundred percent better.

“Let’s go over the maps. Ruby and Balthazar, if you will? You‘re the only two who have been inside the Empire.”

\-----

Plotting and strategies had never been Dean’s thing, which was why once it was over he was relieved. Everyone had made their way back, Anna and Meg looking thoroughly exhausted, but they informed the group of their findings. They were sickeningly cute, poking through the leftover pasta together and not leaving each other's side. It was just another thing added to the list that was making Dean bitter about his current situation. He wanted that to be him and Cas.

Balthazar was pointing them in the way of sleeping arrangements (most of which were places on the floor where people were wadding together clothing as makeshift pillows) and when the Brit suggested Castiel sleep with him, a new rage lit up Dean inside.

Of course, Cas refused. So after a round of rock-paper-scissors (and much to Balthazar’s dismay) Garth ended up winning and excitedly hopped off to sleep in a real bed. But fair was fair, and Dean smirked at the turn of events. Especially since Garth was a cuddler. Karma was a bitch.

Somehow, the girls managed to squeeze onto the foldout couch, and Ruby, Sam and Gabriel agreed to take the guest room. They quoted ’threesome bonding time, without the sex,’ as their reasoning.

Well, it was mostly Sam who’d said that. But Dean had to admit, it was a strange situation. Maybe Sam was convincing them all to have heart-to-hearts and talk about feelings and shit. Needless to say, Dean was happy that was going to be going down behind closed doors.

Everyone was more or less passed out when Cas got up from his spot on the floor, mumbling to Dean that he needed to use the bathroom.

Dean didn’t hesitate to follow him stealthily.

Once he heard the toilet flush and Cas was about to come out, Dean pushed his way in to see a confused looking fallen angel. He soundlessly locked the door behind them.

“Dean?” He questioned softly as the man cornered him and pushed his backside up against the sink

Cas had that adorable head tilt going on, when he continued with, “I’m done with the bathroom, if you need it.”

“What I need,” Dean placed both arms on the counter beside Castiel, effectively boxing him in, “Is for you to tell Balthazar to fuck off.”

“What?” As much as the confusion was cute, Dean wasn’t so much in the mood anymore. It was something he had been dealing with all damn day, and he was reaching his breaking point. Enough was enough.

“You don’t know he’s trying to get in your pants?” A nip to the neck, “he wants you, Cas,” he sucked the skin between his teeth, “and I’m the only one who can have you.”

When he pulled away and they locked eyes, realization finally dawned on Castiel's face.

Then it was replaced by a shit-eating grin.

“Are you being possessive, Dean?”

“Damn right, I am,” and he shut him up with a rough kiss.

Of course, Cas knew that there was nothing going on between himself and Balthazar, but he couldn’t help playing along. The way Dean was kissing him and the intensity his jealously had manifested was something new and exciting. Cas wasn't going to say it out loud but he had a suspicion it had to do with the demon blood running through Dean's veins. 

And, hell, if Cas didn’t find it sexy.

When they both came up for air, Cas couldn’t help taunting, “If I’m yours, _prove it._ ”

Dean didn't stop the growl that escaped his throat as he hoisted Cas up onto the counter top. The way his hands were grabbing at Castiel was different from the rough ones inspired by anger. These were controlling, and Cas was thrilled by it. Dean took on the aggressive roll, taking what he wanted without regret. He had Cas rock hard in the confines of his pants and he didn't hesitate to roll his hips forward against his jealous lover.

After a particularly loud moan when their bodies made contact, Dean clamped his hand over Cas’ mouth and teased out, “You like this?”

It wasn’t a question: it was a statement. One he didn’t have to answer for Dean to know the truth.

Even though he couldn’t reply out loud, that didn’t keep Cas from running his tongue along the palm which was currently keeping him silent. Dean shivered and Cas agreed with his own initial impression: this was a _very_ fun game.

He continued to teasingly flick his tongue at the man’s fingertips before he was rearranged on the counter, just enough for Dean to pull off both Cas' pants and boxers. If Dean couldn't feel how aroused Castiel was, he could sure as hell see it now. And if Dean licking his lips and the grin spreading on his face was anything to go by, he liked what he saw.

When his mouth was free, Cas challenged, “You should stake your claim, then.”

Dean didn’t need to be told twice. He didn’t hesitate to rip Cas’ shirt off and grab a bottle of conditioner from where it sat next to the shower.

Seriously, though - in the end times, what pretentious asshole actually had _conditioner_?!

Cas bit his lip as Dean squeezed out just enough to coat his fingers, his body almost trembling in anticipation. Dean paused, which caused annoyance to flutter in Cas' chest because he knew he was being toyed with. Dean's eyes roamed over every inch of his body hungrily, which was completely exposed against the tiled sink. Yet the haughty expression remained steady on Cas' face, he refused to bat an eyelash at how vulnerable he was. Cas was breathing heavily as he waited for Dean's next move. But whatever it would be, God, he wanted it _now_.

Dean barely brushed his fingers, slippery and teasing, along the length of Cas' cock before wrapping his hand around him and biting into his neck. He shifted Cas _just_ enough, before kissing him hard on the mouth with a renewed intensity.

“I will stake my claim,” his voice was still hushed, but almost eerily dangerous. He worked at slicking Cas’ hole before easing a finger inside him. “You’ll never think about anyone but me.”

“Mm,” Cas let the feeling of Dean twisting inside of him soak in before breathlessly adding, “In that case, you better fuck me good.”

Dean raised an eyebrow and stared right into Castiel’s eyes as he pushed in a second digit. It was none too gentle. It was a power struggle, teetering on that line between playful and possession.

Cas was squirming and mumbling encouragement as Dean's fingers fucked into him. It didn't hit Cas until then that Dean was still fully dressed, and he began thinking of ways to rip his clothes off. Even if Dean was on a mission, he waited until he knew Cas was ready before adding a third.

By ready, he meant writhing and grinding against his hand, begging for Dean to keep going.

Dean continued pumping slicked fingers into his naked angel, while his other hand moved from its place on Cas’ neck to unzip his fly. The light was still on in the bathroom and Cas watched through heavily lidded eyes Dean’s every move. They were blown full of lust and his lips were red from taking the brunt of Dean’s jealousy eagerly.

Dean thought Cas was fucking beautiful.

Everything about him was beautiful. He couldn’t think of anything else. Dean could feel himself getting lost again, wrapped up in his own head and his insane _obsession_ with the man in front of him. It made his movements shaky, trying to get rid of his pants.

Cas was tired of waiting and yanked them down for him. If Cas had his way he'd be tearing the rest of Dean's clothes from his body, but feeling his cock was much more important right now.

Dean still couldn't tear his eyes away, but Cas was done with the waiting. So he took another initiative to grab the bottle before spreading it in his hand.

He couldn’t contain his gasp as Cas wrapped his slippery hand around Dean’s cock, and leaned forward, “My thoughts are wandering, Dean, you should probably-”

 _That_ made him snap out of it. The teasing was over, Dean pulled his fingers out and with one slide in, he was balls deep inside the warm heat.

Cas threw his head back and gasped, his arms latching around Dean’s neck in a frantic attempt to grab something. His body shuddered, and he was lucky his head didn't crash into the mirror and shatter it into a million pieces.

“N-not so mouthy now, are you?” Dean was overwhelmed by the feeling of the body wrapped around him. He couldn’t keep his words straight because he needed this.

Needed to move, needed to feel, needed to fuck him to kingdom come. It was an overwhelming instinct and while it scared him a little - it felt so  _right._

Cas couldn't help but grind against him, and before he knew what was happening, he felt his ass lift from the counter.

He wrapped his legs tightly around Dean’s hips as he was spun around and, with a loud _thump_ , they crashed into the wall.

The feeling was brand new - handing over the reigns and losing control. They provoked each other, picked and picked, and apparently Cas knew all the right words to get Dean worked up.  And thank fucking God he did.

It felt incredible: the way Cas’ back was slammed brutally and violently into the wall, Dean man-handling him and thrusting into his body for all he was worth.

If those outside didn’t hear the moans, they sure as hell heard the rhythmic thumping from inside the room. If there was any more force behind it, Dean would swear they'd have cracked the dry wall. Every punched breath and thud as a result of fucking Cas this intensely and frenzied was a reward. A prize that he had won. No one else was going to take this away from him.

Dean would be lying if he said he had no idea the other side of this wall was Balthazar’s bedroom.

“Fuck, Dean,” Cas tried to catch his breath, but they were ripped away every time Dean hammered inside him unbelievably deep, feeling like he might break in half.

“Who do you belong to?” Dean moaned in his ear, never slowing his pace.

“Yours, I’m all yours,” Cas managed to get out, being overwhelmed by the harshness of the thrusts, but also the hickeys Dean was sucking into his skin.

Cas had never known the arousal of being powerless before but it was addicting. Then when each plunge into his body nailed his prostate, he knew he was done for.

“Who?” Dean growled against his neck, sinking his teeth in just enough to leave another mark on the tanned flesh. A mark for everyone to see.

“Dean, Dean,” Cas panted out and squeezed his legs locked around the other man even tighter as he felt his climax approaching.

“You’re damn right,” Dean caught his mouth one more time in a kiss, his thrusts becoming erratic. “Gonna fill you up from the inside. You're all mine.”

“Dean!” Cas tried so hard to be quiet - he really did - but once Dean knew he was coming undone, he didn’t take mercy on him. He kicked it up a notch.

From where the angel was seizing in his arms, Dean hoisted him up one more time, at one more surprising angle, and fucked into him for all he was worth.

Dean saw stars, when he spilled into Cas and the electricity overwhelmed his body. He could swear his hearing melted away and his senses blacked out for a few seconds at least.

He had to lean even more heavily into Cas, who was now squished between his body and the wall, just to catch his balance.

Castiel removed his legs, one at a time, when Dean slowly pulled out. He could feel cum dripping from between his thighs and it made him smile.

They tangled their arms around each other and kissed softly, half-apologies, but mostly tender, sated kisses. That was until someone outside mumbled, “Jesus fucking Christ, they’re finally done!”

Breathless laughs filled the room and Dean pulled his face up to meet his eyes, “God, you’re fuckin’ perfect, Cas.”

“Mm,” he leaned into the touch. “Consider your claim _thoroughly_ staked.”

Almost forgetting what this was about, and mildly embarrassed about getting so caught up in it to begin with, Dean huffed out, “Yeah? Mine, huh?”

“Always been all yours,” Cas placed a single kiss on his nose. “Might as well have a ‘property of Dean Winchester’ tattooed to my forehead.”

“Nah, you don’t have to go that far. Although, I admire the dedication,” Dean slapped him lightly on the behind. “I like your face too much.”

“While we’re in here, should we take advantage of the shower?” Cas tugged on the edge of Dean’s shirt and lifted a suggestive eyebrow. "I have to get you naked  _somehow_  since I'm already naked. It's only fair."

“That’s a good idea,” Dean allowed it to be pulled over his head. “Hopefully everyone will be asleep when we’re done and we’ll avoid the bitching.”

“You’d think you weren’t just trying to prove a point,” Cas adjusted the setting on the faucet, and an innocent, almost shy Dean shrugged behind him.

“Never been the jealous type, 'til you.”

“You say the most romantic things,” Cas cooed back and grabbed Dean’s wrist, “Come on, Romeo.”

“Hey! Don’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not, it's just one of the many things I love about you.”

Once they were together under the spray of the shower head, they both took a moment to memorize every inch of the other’s body through wandering hands and kisses.

The future was uncertain. This may be the last chance they had.


	22. Skeptics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“How about you worry about your part, and I worry about mine,” Dean spat bitterly, “If you can actually pull off getting the angel's graces back, we’d all be better off. I don’t see you making it too long without it.”_
> 
> _A dark expression crossed Balthazar’s face, and his lips formed a thin line. He wordlessly filled up the coffee cups and slid one across the table to Dean._
> 
> _“I’ve made it through much more than your puny human brain could even dream of,” he leaned on the edge of the table. “You haven’t learned about sacrifice, and I was hoping you’d get your ignorant head out of your ass before it kills us all.”_
> 
> _Dean was beginning to fume, but stopped as an immediately calming touch wrapped around his middle._
> 
> _Cas was sleep-rumpled and lethargic as he reached for Dean’s coffee before Dean could even take a sip, “I see you two are bonding.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a little bit between updates, and unfortunately it may stay this way for hot sec, since I just moved across the country to LA. This has been the first chance I've gotten to post, so hopefully after we get our wifi set up, there will less time between updates :) Thanks for hanging in there!
> 
> Updated 2/2/15

The last thing Gabriel was expecting was Sam gently nudging him awake and beckoning him out of the room late in the night. Or early in the morning, who knew at that point? They had all eventually managed to get to sleep after the noisy sex going on in the bathroom, which Gabe wouldn’t admit made him even more bitter. Another reason he wasn’t exactly looking forward to talking with Sam.

But in the end he found himself next to the man, sitting on the edge of the window sill of the fire escape looking out to the dark, sky lined with billowing smoke as far as the eye could see.

“What’s on your mind, Sammy?”

Sam hesitated a second and then reached out to grab Gabriel’s hand.

Which he promptly pulled away from. “What’d you wake me up for? C’mon, I’m not graced-up like those idiots with their marathon sex. I need _sleep_ to function like an actual archangel-human-being.”

“Gabe...” Sam looked confused, and that damn puppy face was going to be the end of him one day. “I just wanted to talk to you-”

“Don’t worry, kid, there’s nothing to say. I get it, it’s not you, it’s me. It’s been fun, you got your girlfriend back, yadda yadda,” he sneered and shook his head, before standing up and making his way back inside.

“Hey! What the hell!” Sam tried not to raise his voice, but it was a hissed whisper. “That’s not it, that’s not what this is about! God, can you just listen to me for a second!?”

“What the hell, yourself, moose,” Gabriel wasn’t in the mood to play games. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“ _Yes_ , there _is_ ,” he yanked him back down and Gabe didn’t want to admit it, but all powered-up, Sam was a bit stronger than he was now.

“Then spit it out.”

“I needed her blood, all right? I wasn’t blowing you off and after my head cleared, I realized what it probably looked like. And I’m sorry. I told her too, and I-I wanted you to know that,” his gaze fell, unsure what else he could say besides, “I can tell you’re mad at me.”

“Told her what, exactly?” He raised an eyebrow, “That we had rebound sex or some shit? That you one, two, three, floor-tequila‘d your way into my bed?”

“Stop! Stop being a sarcastic ass for _two seconds_ , all right?!” Sam snapped, he could usually deal with Gabriel but not like this - not _now_. “I still care about her, but when all is said and done I realized that it’s not the same. I care about her because of this dumb addiction, or whatever it is. I’m using her, she’s using me. Whatever, it is what it is. But you? I started caring about you before all this, without all this, it‘s different. So fucking different.”

Gabriel didn’t look convinced. “Um, you’re getting your kicks off my blood, too, ya know. So this ‘using’ this? It works all the way around.”

“Did you not catch the part about _before_?” Sam was exasperated and on the verge of breaking. “Let me just put it this way. If this craving didn't exist and you both stopped feeding it, if there wasn’t any Trifecta or this ritual stuff - I wouldn’t want Ruby anymore. But I’d still want you.”

There was silence and for once Gabriel wasn’t sure what to say or how to take it. From day one, when Tessa had brought Sam to the Underground he’d liked the kid. He’d especially liked his sincerity and kindness...but this all seemed too good to be true.

“Gabe, please say something.” And, fuck, if Sam didn’t look vulnerable.

However, Gabe didn’t say anything.

The tables had turned, and although this situation was far from new (Gabriel had lived a very, _very_ long life) there wasn’t anything that matched up to this very moment.

That didn’t mean he kept from swinging his arm around Sam’s shoulder and kissing his forehead. Sam relaxed into the touch and the tension melted away from his body. This was something, this was stronger than the words Gabriel could have formed and everything was answered without so much as a syllable.  But Sam still had to say it...

“Thanks.”

“Such a heartbreaker, kiddo.”

“Shut up.”

\----------

Balthazar may or may not have ‘accidentally’ tripped over Dean on his way to the kitchen in the morning, and it woke the man up all the same. Even though he didn’t really sleep, he’d worked out a way to kind of zone-out, since not sleeping was just plain freaky.

“What the fuc-” Dean glared up at the man, who merely rolled his eyes and kept on walking.

Dean ventured a glance around the room and, noting he was really the only one awake, decided to get up and follow him.

Even if he really didn't want to unwrap himself from Cas.

Cas was apparently much better at these ‘zone-outs’ than Dean - but it could have also been the lack of demon blood in his veins, because he was out like a light.

Dean was careful and quiet when he left the room and was greeted by the smell of brewing coffee.

“You’re kind of a jackass,” he mumbled, but didn’t finish the rest of his insult as Balthazar produced two mugs.

They didn’t exactly have an awesome coffee shop in the Underground, so who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?

“Ahh, yes. One of my finer qualities,” he smirked as the pot slowly heated.

“So now what?”

“That’s the question on everyone’s minds, isn’t it?” He mused and ran his finger along the rim of the ceramic to occupy his hands. “You’re going to do your duty today, correct?”

Dean scoffed at the abrupt question, “What is that supposed to mean? Of course I’m going to ‘do my fucking duty,’ what the hell else would I be doing? Prancing in the fields and knitting a sweater?”

“Let me rephrase that, since your skull is too thick to take it for what it’s worth,” he rolled his eyes and looked physically pained to spell it out. “You’re going to do your duty. No matter what. Not to be a downer, but I doubt many of us will make it out alive - and you seem to be quite the emotional and impulsive fellow, if last night's pornographic performance was anything to go by.”

Dean’s face flushed with irritation rather than embarrassment. “If we all do our damn jobs, we _will_ make it out alive. Sure, scratched and torn up comes with the territory, but if this prophesy is right? We’re gonna win.”

“Oh yes, I’m sure your win will come. But what will you do to achieve it?” He raised an eyebrow, and began filling the two cups to the brim. “Because the answer needs to be _‘whatever it takes_.’”

It wasn’t like that wasn’t something Dean hadn’t thought of before. He knew it was going to gruesome, there was going to be bloodshed, but he didn’t know what he would do if he lost his friends. Still, he wouldn’t let himself think like that. He refused.

“How about you worry about your part and I worry about mine,” Dean spat bitterly. “If you can actually pull off getting the angel's graces back we’d all be better off. I don’t see you making it too long without it.”

A dark expression crossed Balthazar’s face and his lips formed a thin line. He wordlessly slid one of the full coffees across the table to Dean.

“I’ve made it through much more than your puny human mind could even dream,” he leaned on the edge of the table. “You haven’t learned about sacrifice. I was hoping you’d get your ignorant head out of your ass before it kills us all.”

Dean was beginning to fume, but stopped as an immediately calming touch wrapped around his middle.

Cas was sleep-rumpled and lethargic as he reached for Dean’s coffee before Dean could even take a sip. “I see you two are bonding.”

“Good morning, darling,” Balthazar’s expression completely transformed into what Dean referred to as a smarmy prick, and he gave the man a wink. “Sounded like you had a grand old time last night. Reminded me of the times we used to-”

Castiel scoffed, “I don’t understand why you insist on antagonizing Dean. It’s not achieving anything.”

“But it is _so_ amusing,” he leaned forward on the table. “Since you’re never fun in the mornings, if I remember correctly, the first team to head out is myself and my ‘captive’ Joanna Beth, yes?”

He ran a hand through his unruly hair before nodding, “I believe giving you two the head start will get you into the Capitol before the chaos begins. If all goes well, we could be distraction enough for you to recover the grace.”

Balthazar nodded, then peered out of the room to make sure no one else was awake before asking in a hushed tone, “And do tell, where does Anna fit into all this?”

Castiel frowned for a moment. “I don’t know if I want her on the field, in case something goes wrong. I want her to witness and report back to the Underground if they need to prepare for battle. Even if she’s injured, her condition can negate pain and she could get back to them faster than any of us.”

This was the first time Dean was hearing of it. “Hey, everything’s going to be fine, there’s not gonna be anything she needs to report,” he wrapped an arm around Cas’ middle and assured him, “we’re gonna kick ass today.”

Cas gave him a small smile before nodding and taking one more sip of the coffee, savoring the taste. “Thank you, Balthazar. I’ll wake the others and we can prepare.”

\-----------

Ruby was slightly annoyed when she woke up to an empty bed. She was more or less expecting it, due to the way her little heart-to-heart with Sam the night before had taken a _strange_ turn. She glanced over the edge of the bed before groaning and laying back to stretch over the full expanse.

Sure enough, the two other parts of the Trifecta were curled up together on the floor.

Oh well. More space for her.

Or at least that’s what she was telling herself.

She was bitter. It wasn’t as though she thought she had him enraptured and obsessed, per se...but _really, she thought she had_. She never regarded Sam as a play thing, although it had started out that way, because in the end it really had turned into love. And now, bitter may not even be the word to _begin_ to cover it.

After all she had done for Sam, all the trouble she had gone to just to be thrown aside like this? It began to get her demon blood boiling. Like a red hot river of lava set ablaze by something more sinister, a black smoke swirling around the very veins and arteries in her body.

Still, she needed to rein it in.

She knew that Sam still cared about her. But apparently, she was now the runner-up in his eyes.

To a fucking wingless angel.

To her kind, they were the lowest of the low. Worthless former headaches, and she had been dumped for one of _them_. Sure, back in the day when they had been the powerful beings of celestial strength and fury, _she_ had been fearful and little less than dirt underneath their shoes, but oh, how the tables had turned. Now Gabriel was worthless. And yet, Sam found something in him. And he was apparently infatuated with him, or some shit. And he was a guy, no less. Ruby knew herself, she knew who she was - and that was a bombshell, a perfect ten with perfect curves and a face that would make any man fall on their knees for her. And fucking  _Gabriel_ had ruined all that...

Even though it _had_ been Gabriel, himself, to first put his trust in her and break her out of her imprisonment, that didn’t mean she was going to easily step aside and give up the man she loved.

Yes. Loved.

The idea was terrifying but it was there out in the open, and she had no other choice than to simply accept it.

She now knew why she had been cast into the neutral party. Part of her wanted Sam’s happiness - part of her wanted Gabriel’s death. But all of her wanted the Trilogy to fall. But if Gabriel was a casualty along the way and Sam fell right back into her arms...she wouldn’t complain in the slightest. Now if only she could figure out a way to put that into motion...

Because after his final blood toast that was all Gabriel was useful for, right?

She grunted and pulled the sheets back. It was time to face the music and freshen up before her possible last day on earth. A girl could still look hot walking to her death, couldn’t she?

\------------

When the door shut, Gabriel yawned and muttered out, “Fuck, you could practically hear her thinking from here. Nothing good either.”

Sam chuckled against his shoulder and nestled closer, since they couldn't be blatantly affection with Ruby still in the room. He'd gladly take advantage of it now. “You need to give her more credit, you know.”

“Oh, I give her credit for her help thus far, but just because she hasn’t managed to murder anyone yet doesn’t mean she’s not gonna.” Gabe sighed, dropping his hand to card through Sam's hair. “But I guess it’s the moment of truth coming up, huh? I hope Balthy and Jo get their mission done ASA-fuckin'-P. If you think I'm sexy now, just you wait until you get a look at my Archangel ass.”

At the mention of Archangel, Sam looked up at him sharply, “I still can’t believe that.”

“Why? Because I’m so down to earth and wonderful?” Gabe gasped in fake-shock.

“It’s just... awesome. Wonder sometimes why you’re wasting your time with me.” Sam admitted with a shrug.

“Oh hell no, you don’t.” Gabe shoved Sam over until he was pinning him to the ground. “Stop being an idiot. I’m not gonna shower you in compliments, because you already know why I like you so shut up.”

When a single kiss was placed on Sam’s forehead, he relaxed a bit and mumbled, “You just like my great body.”

“Yep. Glad we agree on that.”

They lingered for a while, Gabriel’s hand grazing along Sam’s jaw and Sam reaching up to loop his arms around Gabe’s waist to pull him back down. It was a stolen, tender time where their lips would brush but they never really looked away from one another. It was...sweet. In all senses of the word. The silent moment wasn’t long enough before the door opened and someone groaned.

“Disgusting.”

And Ruby stomped off.

\----------

Breakfast was a reasonably silent affair, as people mentally prepared for the day and talked in hushed voices to those they wouldn’t be seeing when their teams were divided up. People they may never see again, actually. Although there wasn’t a lot of room for privacy, everyone tried their best to give everyone some space, they realized the situations were the special memories they may not be able to recreate again.

Benny had thrown together a meal, which was another reason everyone (besides Cas) was ecstatic they had brought him. A final battle on an empty stomach just wouldn’t have done.

Charlie was singing her praises to Benny as her and Garth chatted with Ruby about the best ways to sneak into Trilogy headquarters to rescue Kevin.

It was obvious Ruby was trying to distract herself and Charlie couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. If there was one thing Charlie was good at - being around these fools long enough - it was reading the signs of repressed issues; whether you were an angel, human or demon, and how to smooth out the situation _without_ having to ‘talk it out.’ So she was trying to use her hidden talents on Ruby, of all people. Girls have to stick together, and what not.

“So, the best way would be this corridor,” Ruby traced her finger along a map in the far side of the west wing. “Although, it’s not the most direct route, it’s the one with the least amount of guards. And if Balthazar and Jo have already began the distraction, those guards will be the first on the scene so it might clear out immediately.”

“The holding cells, are they bound by magic?” Garth asked pointing to the row of cages.

“Nope. But it’s really, really, _really_ strong metal. As in, no human, and only certain demons can even get the doors to budge.” She turned her focus to Benny and winked. “Good thing you’ve got a sexy, rough and tumble vampire for the heavy lifting.”

He grinned and nodded his head, “That’s what I’m here for, little lady.”

“Oo, you two would make a cute couple!” Charlie got a gleam in her eyes, and clamped her mouth shut before she could say anything else. But it didn‘t quite work, “I mean... sorry. Just, ya know...evil turned good rebound epic romance, er, I’m gonna shut up now.”

Garth laughed, but they all turned as their host loudly clearing his throat.

“I must confide something in you, Charlie,” Balthazar beckoned the redhead forward.

“Sorry guys, matchmaking is just in my nature. But I’d _totally_ ship it,“ she winked as she followed Balthazar.

He kept walking around the corner and into his bedroom until they were both away from prying eyes.

“Confide? Well, shit, I don’t want to know about your orgies, Balth. So please spare me,” she looked bored. “Or anything else that goes on in your bedroom, for that matter, please and thank you.”

“Oh no, no, my dear, nothing as wonderful.”

“All right, so spill.”

“I’m not sure how much you’re aware of the Ruby, Sam, Dean, Mum and Pop situation, since - apparently ‘secrets don’t make friends,’ doesn’t apply in the Underground? From what I‘ve gathered from previous little tiffs and issues brought to my attention from various other sources, that is.”

She shrugged, “When we were talking to Ruby about her rampage, apparently she paid off some demon to leave Sam alive and kill the rest? And then flipped out when that demon left Dean and Sam was dead for a hot sec, or something. Is that what you’re talking about?”

“Yes, yes, that’s _precisely_ what I’m talking about. So, in light of that, I wanted to let you know that I’ve been working with Tessa for quite some time and we knew something was special with Dean and Sam, so we planned a little...thing,” he actually hesitated. That was something Charlie wasn’t used to seeing since he usually had a strong and chronic case of word-vomit.

“What was this plan or whatever?”

“Well, I intercepted the demon along the way,” his mouth was a tight frown. “Took over his mission for him, as it were. Made sure Dean was out, so he would survive and only killed Sam enough that Tessa would be able to bring him back. Since she was ready and waiting in the wings and had constructed the plan with me.”

“Woah!” Charlie’s eyes lit up. “Wait, hold the fucking phone,” she leaned in, and sounded decently terrified. “Are you telling me it was _you_ who killed their parents?!”

“Hench, why I needed someone to confide in, lest it comes back to bite me in the ass,” he shrugged. “It was a means to an end, darling. They were going to die anyway. Better it be two than four- because if all four had made it there would have been questions and too much attention drawn.”

She was as white as a ghost. Her stomach sank and she felt as if she was going to throw up. “Shit, shit, shit,” she chanted to herself as she ran her fingers frantically through her hair.

“Quite the pickle, eh?” He grabbed one of her mindless hands. “But, you know as well as I do it needed to be done. It was correct choice - even if it wasn’t the _just_  choice, if you catch my drift. And I do feel horribly, but I need someone on my side if it’s brought up. Heaven knows a slew of them will jump on me like attack dogs. Probably even try to kill me.”

“I need to take a walk,” Charlie muttered and pulled away from him.

“You’re not leaving me high and dry here, are you?” His voice took on a strangely desperate tone for someone who had committed the crime without batting an eye.

“No,” she admitted, “I know why you did it. I’ll try to call off the dogs if it comes to that. But right now I just need some alone time to process this.”

“Do kindly hurry. We have a planet to save.”

“Do kindly fuck off, you heartless bastard.”

\-----------

After Kevin was offered his ‘deal’ he had been sitting in Crowley’s chambers, waiting to respond. He admitted it was much better than the holding cell, but it was a whole new world of imprisonment. He had been alone, and while solitary confinement was something he was used to, it wasn’t a guard who was going to come around to check on him.

It was _part_ of the Trilogy.

That was much, much worse.

At face value, the ‘deal’ seemed like a good thing, but the fine print was what worried him.

What worried him even more were the visions he had been getting lately.

Although, convulsing on a chase lounge was better than a cement slab, the nature of the visions were equally terrifying.

It was coming.

The end of the game.

But his visions weren’t conclusive.

They were bits and pieces of things, with faces of his friends but different chances of fate.

Everything up until now had been decided - set in stone and inevitable. But now there were choices; options.

They were all simply different degrees of bloody.

He jerked up when he heard the door unlock and the man saunter in.

“So. Have we reached a decision, Kevie?”

“Yes.” His jaw was locked and he didn’t make eye contact, “I’ll take it.”

“Mm, that's a good lad. Come here for a kiss, then.”

\-----------

As much as her head was spinning, there was one thing that she had to do first and foremost. While everyone was digging through the weapons Balthazar had amassed in random storage, she needed to find her girlfriend.

Jo was appraising a long sword when she noticed Charlie stomping up to her. “Hey, babe, what’s with the runway strut?”

Charlie didn’t slow her pace, but snagged Jo’s arm along the way and pulled her aside. She took a deep breath and looked conflicted. “Uh...”

“Really?” Jo raised an eyebrow, “Spit it out.”

“Idon’ttrustBalthazar.”

“Huh?” She had to wait for her brain to catch up, “Well, I mean he’s sleazy as fuck, but he’s on our side. Plus, he’s Cas’ bestie, so what made you change your tune?”

“I just have a bad feeling-”

“There’s something you’re not telling me.” It wasn’t a guess: it was a statement, but Jo wasn’t in the mood for games right now. “If there’s really something I need to know, you tell me. It’s not like I’m going to play Balthazar’s captive and march right into the Empire undercover, or anything.”

“Just...” Charlie took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Promise to be careful? Like I said, it’s just a feeling.”

She couldn’t let her and Jo's emotions get in the way at this stage, but she couldn’t escape from the anger brewing in her gut either.

“It’ll be okay,” Jo tilted Charlie’s chin up, “Promise. You still got that lucky knife I gave ya?”

“Obvis.”

“Great. One more kiss, Char. Good luck and all, right?”

\--------

With her arms tied behind her back and her steps stumbling as she was practically dragged along, Jo found herself with her heart pounding in front of the lavish, tall gates of the Empire’s center. Balthazar gave her a yank for good measure as he called out, “I have a little present for the Trilogy!”

Guards turned with flashes of black eyes and sinister smirks as the gates were opened.

“Well, well, Balthazar. What do we have here?” The perfect female match of Balthazar’s voice cooed.

“You’re looking absolutely stunning today, Bela,” he smiled as he roughly drug Jo through the entrance. “You’re going to love the little bunny I captured on the outskirts of town - she's one of the traitors we've been looking for. Would you like to keep me company as wrap this little present up?”

Bela smirked and nodded as she bent down to grab a hold of Jo’s jaw. “Hm, I feel as though I’ve seen this face before.”

“Let me go!” Jo squirmed, a bit of actual fear overcoming her because she knew _exactly_ who this woman was.

“Maybe when she’s not covered in filth you’ll recognize her,” Balthazar hummed and tried to keep them moving, as well as continue to keep Bela distracted. “She was quite lovely before she put up a fight and I had to toss her around a bit. Blood and dirt never look that charming on a lady, after all.”

Bela smirked as she walked alongside the pair and laughed, “Unless it’s another’s blood you’re covered with.”

“You always say the most delightful things,” he cooed, obviously friendly with this woman. “Maybe we can have some fun with her before we deliver her as a gift?”

Even though Jo knew it was a bluff to get them inside alone, it still stirred an uneasy feeling inside her - especially after Charlie’s warning. And now Bela Talbot, one of the most cunning back-stabbing bitches Jo had ever come across was involved... that did _nothing_ to help her fear.


	23. Loyalists and Traitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“That’s it?”_
> 
> _“Yes.” Cas nodded and handed it to Dean, “This was created by Lucifer himself for Cain, the first Knight of Hell. It’s the most deadly weapon in all of creation and if these times were different and you were human, would come with a soul-crushing curse.”_
> 
> _Dean’s eyes widened and he placed his hands in front of him before he accepted. “Uhh, that doesn’t really make me want to take it, you know?”_
> 
> _“Dean,” Cas pressed it into his palms and wrapped his fingers around it. “I wouldn’t give it to you if I wasn’t sure. The curse damns souls, yet you’re already filled with demon blood and grace. I do not believe much else can happen to taint you.”_
> 
> _“You sure know how to make a guy feel special,” he gave him a cheeky grin, but couldn’t help but feel the power pulsing from the blade as it sat heavily in his hand._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/2/15

Bela Talbot was one of the reason the Underground almost never happened or came to fruition in the first place. She was a cunning, backstabbing genius with a penchant for power. She was also a very good actress. In the past, before he (or anyone else) knew any better, she had already worked her magic on them and took advantage Castiel’s heart - which was much too large and trusting for his own good in the beginning. In a way, it still was.

It all happened when he was doing reconnaissance on the fallen angels, and looking for locations of said angels, that he'd met Bela. She was charming and helpful and had a vast network of her own. It was the beginning of the end, and her number one motive was looking out for _herself_. She helped Castiel find and gather fallen angels for his troops, believing that there may be sanctuary and protection within this militia that would suit her needs.

Cas was grateful and excited about the results she brought him, impressed by how efficient Bela was. Even if she did seem a little forward and he didn’t know how to handle her blatantly sexual advances. He handled her how he would handle Meg, and he thought it was working for the most part.

What he _didn’t_ know was at the same time Bela was helping him locate his comrades - she was also weighing her options and comparing the benefits of his rebel group with the benefits of joining the Trilogy. Her heart had no place in it. It didn’t matter if these talks of a refuge were the ‘right thing,’ she cared about being alive. All Bela cared about was thriving while she still had time left to do so.

Which is why, when offered the opportunity, she gleefully accepted a position with what she considered to be the winning team, and jumped ship on Castiel fast.

Jo and Ellen had been tipped off and knew something was wrong from the start of her joining. One day with Bela in tow, the three had been posing as a disheveled family to walk freely through the area above ground during their search for more angels.

Their trained eyes saw the second there was danger and betrayal. Thank God they were able to get out of there before Bela could get word to her new comrades and turn them in. But their survival was by the skin of their teeth and only because they'd suspected her to begin with.

They managed to get away with the angels they had found together previously, and protected them until the Underground was finished. But every fallen angel on the list who they had been searching for, the list that _Bela_ had compiled _,_ was brutally slaughtered before they could save them. Their lives were a gift she had presented to the Trilogy to prove her allegiance.

Jo hated Bela with every fiber of her being.

Although Cas wasn’t the type to thrive on revenge, he may very well enjoy taking it out on this one. For his brother's and sister's senseless murders.

When Bela said Jo looked familiar, the blonde knew it was only a matter of time before Bela put two and two together. Sure, it had been years, Jo’s face had matured and was currently covered in dust, but when she got a good look it would be so fucking obvious. So Jo tried to keep her head down and her hair in her face while she ‘struggled’ against Balthazar’s grip while he was hauling her along.

Soon, they came to a room which Jo could only guess was for holding and interrogation and Balthazar roughly tossed her into a chair. Her weight almost knocked it over and the scrape of the metal against the cement echoed in the room.

“Grab me some towels if you will, love?” Balthazar asked Bela, who nodded and went into the other room to procure just that.

“Please don’t tell me she knows who you are.” He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

“Uh. Yeah. But that’s good, right? Because then she knows I am a traitor, like you said?” Jo gave him a crooked smile that was full of false confidence. “What’s the plan now?”

“Now...” he looked conflicted. “I’m not sure. I was going to have you ‘escape’ in the area I knew the grace was being held and when they were trying to catch you, I was going to break in, but now that Miss Talbot is here, I’m rethinking our plan-”

“I even warmed some to wash that pretty face,” Bela entered the room with a strut. “A lady should be treated like a lady, no matter how barbaric she may be.”

Balthazar lit up with his bravado again, “You always were the voice of reason. My apologies for being rough, sometimes I forget where my head is at. With the thrill of the chase and all.”

“Keep it in your pants,” Bela quirked an eyebrow before leaning down to push Jo’s hair out of her face.

She began washing the grime and dried blood (thankfully, not Jo's) away with the wash cloth, and if she recognized her she kept a damn good poker face. She looked thoughtful as she pulled away and calmly requested, “Balthazar, love. Could you fetch me my tools? I believe I’d like to interrogate this one before we waste the masters’ time.”

Jo blanched as Balthazar nodded and turned his back to leave. “I’ll get them right away.”

\--------

Charlie couldn’t keep her eyes from the clock on the wall as she counted the time that had passed since Balthazar left with Jo. Her stomach was churning from the knowledge and the secret he had left her with and there was residue of disgust that encrusted her entire being. Anna kept watching her with her head tilted to the side as the others went about their business.

“Charlie?”

She snapped out of her phase, “Yeah? Sorry, how are you feeling?”

“Much better,” she said simply. “After the grace cured the surface wounds and you and Gabriel made sure everything else was in place, I’ve never felt better.”

She was open and honest and Charlie warmed when she noticed that, even though Meg was engaged in a deep conversation with Gabriel, her hand was still linked with Anna’s. It was a nice reminder of love conquering all. No matter how strange and snarky.

“I’m glad to hear that. Hopefully, when Jo and Balthy let the grace loose and yours come back to ya. You won’t need us to mend you up anymore,” she grinned and patted Anna’s knee.

Anna just returned it with a shrug, “Mine’s long since been misplaced. I doubt that it’s even within Lucifer’s hold. But it’s wishful thinking.”

“Aren’t you a ray of sunshine,” Meg overheard, and leaned over just enough to kiss the corner of Anna’s mouth. “You better hope it’s around here, because watching over you is getting boring. I’d much rather be ravishing you.”

Anna actually quirked a grin, “Ravish? That’s not usually what you call that.”

“There are children present,” Meg stated like it was obvious. Even so, closed the distance between them and silenced her with a filthy wet tongue-filled kiss that made even Charlie blush.

“Okay. Thanks for making me miss my girlfriend, ladies,” she grumbled and crossed her arms.

“You’re welcome to join us while blondie’s out.” Meg suggested, tracing a single finger along the top of Charlie’s knee.

She shivered and batted her away, “Thanks for the offer, but I’m a one-woman kinda girl. Stay classy, bitches.”

“This is unprecedented!” Gabriel dramatically gasped from his seat at the table. “Charlie: the queen of heartbreaking? Player extraordinaire? Tied down to one woman? Joanna must be amazing in bed,” he wiggled his eyebrows. “Enough to tame the beast.”

“I could say the same about you, Mr-”

“All right, enough!” Sam was the voice of reason, trying to get them to focus.

“Yes, Sam did tame the beast, if you know what I mean,” Gabriel stage-whispered to Charlie. “He’s just shy in public.”

“I’m literally going to throw up,” Ruby grumbled before leaving the room completely.

“Do you really have to do that?” Sam pointedly asked Gabe, who did not like being on the receiving end of that bitchface.

“Hey, up until now I thought you were playing games with _my_ heart. Sorry for doing a victory dance and showing the skank what’s what,” he shrugged, and ran a hand through Sam’s hair. “Not like you were complaining la-”

“The next team to head out is Charlie, Garth and myself, correct?” Benny began pulling on his jacket. “I know ya’ll are about the RomCom, but Charlie’s got a friend and a girl out on the field and Garth and I wanna do something productive.”

“Thank you, Benny,” Cas said at the same time Dean asked, “Did you just say _RomCom_?”

Benny flashed a crooked smile at both and nodded, “No problem, Castiel. Missions and battle are kind of my thing. Maybe the other, too. But that information does _not_ leave this room.”

“I knew I liked you for a reason,” Charlie stood up and looped her arm around Benny’s. “Strong and sensitive. The man slash vampire of every woman’s dreams. Ruby, question!” Charlie called to the other side of the room.

“Are you fuckers done?” She peered out, annoyance written clearly across her face.

Gabriel made no move to pull away from Sam, but no one looked too put off by it. Ruby made it a point to avoid them and ask, “All right, what’s up, Charlie?”

“Still think those will be the places they’re holding Kevin?”

“Yep, but as soon as they think something’s up you won’t have much time to get to him. So you guys better head out soon,” she tried to give a her smile. One thing she did know a little something about was camaraderie, and even though she’d been shunned by Sam, she admired the devotion and love people like Charlie had.

Even if she wished hell on Gabriel, she wished the best for Charlie.

“Thanks, Ruby. See you bitches later!”

Dean grabbed Benny’s shoulder on the way out. “Take good care of them, man.”

Benny nodded and smiled, a small sliver of sharp teeth showing, “Of course I will, brother. I look forward to it.”

\-------------

It wasn’t going to be easy, Charlie knew, as she looked around a lesser known side entrance that Ruby had mentioned as they were scouting the area. No matter where they turned there were Trilogy officers, and it was hard to tell which were demons and which were humans.

But they had a weapon that they didn’t have before.

A vampire.

Which was a very pleasant surprise.

Not for the first time, was Charlie impressed with Dean’s ability to make decisions and sway Cas in ways that no one ever had before. It wasn’t just the fact that they were together, it was the fact that Castiel _trusted_ Dean. His judgment, his convictions, and the character of those around him. No one else would’ve been able to get Cas to give Benny a second thought, let alone a chance.

Charlie wasn’t going to lie, she felt a hell of a lot safer with him by her side.

No offense to Garth.

“The three on the left are humans,” Benny nodded towards them, sniffing the air. “They ain’t tainted. If we wait for the other two to hightail it off to wherever they go, we’ll be able to give ‘em a good bump to the head and slip on past.”

“Such restraint,” Garth said, excitedly. “I knew you were one of the good guys.”

“Heh,” the vampire scoffed, “To the humans, yeah, to the black-eyed assholes? Let’s just say we’ll see what happens.”

Charlie gave him a small pat on the back, “Looks like they’re moving, we’ll be able to get in there any seco-”

Before she could finishing, Benny took off with lightening speed and dropped the men silently to the ground. Charlie cocked her head to the side with an audible, “Huh.”

“Looks like your path has been cleared, my queen.” Garth snickered, and held out his hands, “This may be easier than we thought.”

“Don’t get to ahead of yourselves,” Benny’s voice turned back into a low whisper as they dipped around the door and into the hallway Ruby had instructed them to follow. “We’ll see how far we can get before hell breaks loose. The others will be headed to battle and hopefully Jo and Balthazar will get the angel thing going. It’s too bad they’re fresh outta angels to lend to _our_ team. We won’t even know when their batteries turn back on.”

“Kevin,” Charlie reminded, “all I care about right now is Kevin.”

\-------

Dean was hopping from foot to foot, in an attempt to get rid of the nervous energy. Sam was watching him with a raised eyebrow as he kept glancing nervously between the clock, his comrades and his cloak.

“All right, it’s go time!” Sam said in a rush, just as eager as his brother. Before he snagged his coat and laced up his shoes, he was interrupted by a voice.

“If I remember correctly, aren’t you boys getting a little ahead of yourselves?” Meg asked, as she walked around the apartment almost silently, quickly killing the buzz of energy.

Castiel squinted at her in question, before his eyes grew wide and he nodded, “Thank you, Meg.”

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her cheek against his back, “What’d ya do without me, Clarence?”

“We wouldn’t have completed the Trinity, nor would we have remembered the First Blade.”

Dean rolled his eyes, but refrained from saying anything because Meg was Meg. But Dean did have to inquire out loud, “What’s the First Blade?”

“Sam has telekinesis. We have a weapon to channel our power,” Cas stood up and walked over to the closet. “And thankfully Balthazar is a kleptomaniac of weaponry - so we didn’t even need to search for it.”

“Bout the only thing good about him.” Dean mumbled and followed closely behind where Castiel was heading. “So what is this blade bullshit?”

“A while ago, in our first attempts to kill Lucifer we tried to use a weapon called The Colt that we were told could kill any creature in existence. We found out the hard way, my brother was one of the few it didn’t work on,” Cas began digging into a strange looking collection of objects and weapons. Apparently, these were all of Balthazar’s strange findings.

“That had to be a bad day.” Dean leaned in to try to get a better look at the things inside this hiding place.

“Understatement,” was all Cas was going to give about the attempts. Which said enough.

“When The Colt didn’t work, we looked further back into history. The Colt was created much more recently, it something that perhaps would have been made without knowledge of the existence of his scale of power. After all, many people never believed in angels," Cas’ tone was almost teasing, “And Lucifer was merely a fallen angel.”

Finally, Castiel pulled from the mess a gnarly looking blade (if you could even call it a blade) that looked like an arts and crafts product of skeletal remains.

“That’s it?”

“Yes.” Cas nodded and handed it to Dean, “This was created by Lucifer himself for Cain, the first Knight of Hell. It’s the most deadly weapon in all of creation and if these times were different and you were human, it would come with a soul-crushing curse.”

Dean’s eyes widened and he placed his hands in front of him before accepted. “Uhh, that doesn’t really make me want to take it, you know?”

“Dean,” Cas pressed it into his palms and wrapped his fingers around it. “I wouldn’t give it to you if I wasn’t sure. The curse damns souls, yet you’re already filled with demon blood _and_ grace. I do not believe much else can happen to taint you.”

“You sure know how to make a guy feel special,” he gave him a cheeky grin, but couldn’t help but feel the power pulsing from the blade as it sat heavily in his hand. “Shit, this is the real deal, isn’t it? Are you sure it’s going to work though?”

“You would not win on your own and the blade would not kill on it’s own. But together,” Cas shook his head and chuckled a little, “there isn’t a doubt in my mind we’ll be able to defeat everything in our path. You‘ll be able to draw power from Meg and I, and we won‘t be powerless. We too have some weapons that will aid us alongside you. We‘ll be right there fighting. And winning.”

A moment passed where Meg nodded at the two and actually smiled herself, “Time to get ‘em, tiger. Do we need a huddle or a group hug?”

“But-” Sam began with a hint of hesitation. “That’s all I need? Telekinesis?”

“Aaaaand,” Gabriel took a deep breath before sighing. “A fuck ton of blood. I mean, like, a  _fuck ton_. And it won’t be pretty. These three ass clowns got off easy with their clean and holy ‘divine magic,’ and ’special wondrous weapons.’ So chaste and innocent. We gotta do it the nasty, primal way. I can’t imagine what the Trilogy would have to do if those asshats even _tried_  to combine their power,” Gabriel shivered at the thought. “So you ready for this, champ?”

Sam took a deep breath in, held it, and then let it out slowly, “Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Don’t worry,” Ruby winked. “We’ll both hold your hand.”

\------------

As soon as Balthazar left the room, Bela grabbed Jo’s arm, pulled her to her feet and out into the hall. Jo didn’t know if she should scream, fight or what - because this clearly was _not_ part of the plan. They were shuffling so fast she didn’t even know where she was by the time Bela threw her into a different room, much nicer than the holding room she had been in before...and locked the door behind her.

Not just locked. Locked: chain locked, and lock _and_ bolted.

Bela took a seat across from her and crossed her legs and arms.

“I know who you are so you don’t have to hide it from me,” she stated simply. “I also know that you’re uninjured. The blood I wiped away was not from any wounds on your face and the mud was a shitty paint job. Clearly a _man’s_ work. What are you doing here? And don’t lie. I’m the best liar out there, so there’s no way to fool me.”

“Heh, believe me, I know that first hand,” Jo sat up a little straighter, if only to glare and look threatening. “Kudos on the lying bitch award, by the way.”

She merely sneered and asked again, “Why are you here?”

“Should’ve waited for your ‘tools’ to interrogate me, Bela. But I guess since Balthazar doesn’t know where we are they’re a little out of reach, aren’t they?”

She silently stood up and pulled out a knife. Jo’s heart jumped in her throat as Bela stomped over with the blade held low in her grasp. She chastised herself in her head, this is what she got for mouthing off to the psycho bitch, and she would never get to say goodbye to Charlie or her mom or Bobby or-

But then her hands were free.

The ropes were cut and her shoulders were finally relaxed from the burden of being behind her back. She blinked owlishly and looked up at Bela.

“You’re still with Castiel, I imagine?”

Jo nodded, dumbly.

“Think of this as an apology gift,” she pulled out a set of keys. “Which one do you want? You only get one. Which is why I wanted to know your mission.”

“Which...” Jo swallowed hard. “Is this a _trick_?”

Bela threw her head back and laughed. “No, no, dear. I’ve done all the trickery I can muster for one lifetime, since this one is coming to a close. I don’t trust Balthazar as far as I can throw him. But I know your alliances are to Castiel, and he’s the one I owe an apology to. Get away from Balthazar, make this mission your own. I will not help nor hinder you. Don’t let him fool you,” she sighed and just handed her over the entire key ring. “You’re a good girl, Joanna Beth. So good luck.”

She turned to walk away, but before she could Jo asked out loud, “Bela, where do they keep the Angel’s Graces?”

Bela looked confused for a second before giggling a little. “Oh, darling, they're not in here. Is that what Balthazar told you? You poor girl,” Bela walked back over and pulled out a map. “They lie in the catacombs- right here,” she pointed to a spot on the map, then trailed her finger along a route. “I don’t know how long this farce was supposed to take, but your true route is a hike. You better get a move on now.”

Jo felt herself fuming, she had been lied to, she should have listened to Charlie’s warning. “Thank you, seriously, thank you so much.”

The woman nodded and gestured, “It’s the square brass key. I’ll keep Balthazar distracted for you, but _do_ hurry. You can take the back ways I pointed out on the map. No one should see you. No one ever goes there.”

Jo didn’t hesitate for a second, she took off running.

\--------------

One minute, Charlie, Benny and Garth were in a hallway about the turn the corner towards the cells marked on the map and the next they...weren’t.

Their breath’s collectively caught in their throats as they were vacuumed into the room and then frozen to the floor. An impish grin was the first thing they were greeted with, in the midst of riches and lavish decorations. But Charlie breathed a sigh of relief as she caught sight of Kevin who was also there and appeared to be uninjured.

“So nice of you to join us, I trust you’ll take a seat?” The man they all recognized as Crowley asked simply and, with a snap of his fingers, they were suddenly pulled to three plush chairs. “I’d ask to what do I owe this honor, but we all know it’s the dashing young Asian man over there.”

“Kevin, are you all right?!” Charlie demanded and Kevin responded with a nod.

“Well, now that that’s all taken care of,” Crowley circled his own chair then sat down. “Would you like to inform them of our deal?”

“Deal?” Garth echoed, looking between the two with jerky motions.

Kevin pursed his lips together and looked at the ground in silence for a second.

“Now, now. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Speak up!” Crowley leaned over to catch his attention, “You have your comrades waiting on bated breath.”

“A deal with a demon?” Benny barked out, “Even _I_ know better than that!”

“Don’t go judging me!” Kevin had a fire in his eyes as he barked back, “It’s a _ceasefire_ , all right?!”

“A ceasefire?!” Charlie echoed. “If we don’t kill the Trilogy the world’s going to end and we’re running out of time! They need to be stopped, what were you thinking, Kevin?!”

“Not a ceasefire against those two idiots, love. Just me,” Crowley leaned forward. “You can kill those bloody bastards and I would love for you to do that quickly. I’d just like to stay off the battlefield. After all, once things return to normal you need one villain to run Hell. And the way we all see it, I’m the lesser of three evils. I’m a business man, first and foremost. I only, grudgingly, became involved in this because the other two needed someone to keep them in check, and obviously that didn’t work out as well as I had planned. Living with them has been nothing short of miserable, yet since we’re evenly matched. I haven’t been able to do much about it. But now the tables are turning, and I’d very much like your side to win. I’d love to aid you, as long as it doesn’t come to bite me in the ass.”

The room was silent as everyone let his words sink in.

“Kevin has continued to have visions while he’s been here, haven’t you, darling? Would you care to share some of those with the class?” Crowley stood up from his chair to saunter over to his desk. “Drink, anyone?”

Seeing the stormy faces, he shrugged and just poured one for himself.

Kevin audibly gulped and directed his answer to Charlie, knowing she would be the least likely to flip out on him. “He’s right. I’ve been having visions. But they’ve been ‘what if’s rather than ones that will happen no matter what... Only one person is supposed to make it out of the Trilogy in the end - to return to Hell and restore the natural order. The visions..." he swallowed again and looked up to the ceiling, "I’ve seen what’s happened if it’s Lucifer. Or if it’s Abaddon. Or if it’s _him_ ,” there was venom in his voice, “and... he’s the only one who won’t come back topside and try for the apocalypse again-”

“He’s right!” Crowley cheered his glass. “I’d be a happy little tot on Christmas morning just returning and running Hell. So wouldn’t you all agree a cease-fire with me would be your best option?”

“Why can’t we kill all of them?” Benny demanded, “Why does one have to survive?”

“Because-” Kevin tried to work the cotton out of his mouth. “There needs to be _leaders_. That’s why the groups were set forth - that's the whole point of it _all_. Our friends, t-they’re just candidates in some survival-of-the-fittest bullshit election.” There were tears forming in his eyes. “There will only be one to make it out of the Trinity who will rule Heaven. Just like there will only be one to make it out of the Trifecta to rule Purgatory...”

“And let the best wanker win!”


	24. War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“It's been a while since I’ve seen my brother,” Cas admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “And I had hoped, with all the time that's passed, he would have come to his senses. I wish it wouldn’t have turned out like this.”_
> 
> _Meg outright snorted, “You’re cute. Nothing’s gonna change, so don’t even try to talk to him. He hasn’t ‘come to his senses’ in a decade, I doubt seeing you again is going to change a thing.”_
> 
> _“Again?” Dean raised an eyebrow._
> 
> _“Oo, you didn’t know that?” Meg wrapped an arm around Dean’s shoulder, “Clarence was one of Lucifer’s favorites. He was pretty damn heartbroken when he joined the other side. Even more heartbroken when he thought he was dead. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when he finds out he’s the Angelic third of the Trinity. I’m sure there will be fireworks and music.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/11/15

With the first blade in his hand and Meg and Cas at his side, Dean felt damn near invincible. It showed in the way he walked, his razor-sharp focus and the fact that he didn’t need a damn map at all. He was being _pulled_ to the Capital. Words were just words - no one needed to tell him anything anymore, the power he needed was already inside him and racing like sparks and live wires between him and his two comrades. It was strange, but it truly felt holy. Like they were upholding something divine; yet not godly. Divinity in the form of a reckoning and resurrection.

Unfortunately, their other comrades weren’t looking too good.

The Trifecta used something that was natural, not in the realm of divinity. Neutrality _wasn’t_ pretty: it was a choice to make for survival. Gabriel and Ruby had both _chosen_ to make sacrifices to make Sam strong. It was all about free will, their conscious decision to walk the path of good, instead of evil as they selfishly could have, and they were paying for it. While it would have been easier to be egocentric and do things as the Trilogy had done, this was the sacrifice for virtue.

Ironic, how that worked out.

Sam was beaming, thriving, and Gabriel had only barely managed to scribble down some talismans to keep them both from dying. The process wouldn't work with a just little taste _._  They had to give all the blood they could to make Sam strong enough - practically drain themselves within an inch of their lives (leaving the two control-freaks completely vulnerable) because they trusted Sam enough to win this. Still, Ruby was bitching and moaning - but went willingly, so she was allowed all the whining she wanted.

They were like walking corpses on their feet, but they still managed to keep up. They needed to be there in case something went wrong.

But more importantly, they needed to be there when something went _right_.

When the grace was unleashed and Gabriel snatched back up his Archangel status, he’d be able to heal Ruby  _and_ give Sam whatever he needed.  Whether it be more blood or healing on the battleground.

So they trudged on, feigning health and trying to keep their ghostly features hidden under hoods and their footsteps from stumbling.

Dean wished he could use some of his own grace to help them out, but they couldn’t risk losing strength or tainting the bonds this close to the final countdown.

The dynamic was... strange.

Dean mused to himself, watching the three: Sam must have a type _._

Headstrong. Sarcastic. Shit heads _._

“Hands off the merchandise, I’m frail ya know!” Gabe would grouse, “Hold the chick upright, I’m manly. Can totally handle this.”

“I can walk by myself!” Ruby would mumbled when Sam tried to help her over some fallen debris.

The Trinity didn’t have to say a word. They had a whole sitcom of entertainment walking right along side them.

“How does it feel to have _this_ much of me inside you, Sammy?”

“Is this like double penetration? Kinda?”

“This is why I called us the Threesome, makes so much more sense.”

“I think you sucked half my smoke out, not just my blood.”

“What if it rains ’n paper smudges? Are we gonna die?”

“Shit ain’t gonna rain. Just try not to cover it in your tears.”

“You guys are fuckin’ delirious,” Meg rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh, despite the urge to.

Leave it to this group to make conversation like a sketch comedy on the way to their maybe-impending-deaths.

Sam actually did end up having to catch Ruby as they halted and dropped to their knees as soon as they came up on a set of gates that indicated the main entrance. She nearly did a somersault on the dirty ground before gathering herself, then resembled a bobble head picking up the slack. The demon mumbled, complete with a victory pose, "ten point landing!" to herself.

“This is where we split up, I guess. Abaddon has the West Wing, and I think the large-and-in-charge Devil is locked away in the tower,” Dean reached out his hand to Sam. “You gonna be all right?”

Sam returned his grasp and pulled his brother into a hug, “Yeah. I think watching these two is going to be more of a challenge than the battle, you know.”

Neither pulled away for good few seconds. The tension of their arms wrapped around each other in the hug never dulled in intensity. What if this was the last time? Dean had mourned Sam once, he didn't think he'd be able to do it again. He'd rather die than see his brother hurt, he'd rather it be him... but Dean didn't even _have the option_ of throwing himself into the line of fire. They were going to have an entire fortress in-between them. The fact that he wouldn't be able to save him (again) tore a hole inside his heart.

“Well... See you soon?” The brothers were reluctant to let go, and even though no one said anything to push them, they could feel it. They were running out of time.

“See you fuckers when we win, tootles,” Gabe waved, and they parted ways. Just like that.

Dean hated the sinking feeling in his stomach.

\----------

“Shit, fuck, fuck, fuck!” Charlie was pacing the room, Crowley finally giving into her demands to let her stand and walk. She was growing irritating, and since the room was locked down and warded up six ways from Sunday, she couldn’t exactly escape. “We’ve gotta warn them, we have to do _something_!”

“Darling,” Crowley grabbed her shoulder and shoved a glass of amber liquid towards her. “ _Drink_. Order from your new King.”

She wanted to slap it away but the world was turned upside down, so she took it and threw it back. “Thanks, King. So we let you live. Fine, you’re not as terrible as the fuckers out there, but we need to tell our friends! We need to warn them! Can _you_ stay hidden in here, and let _us_ out? We need to act! My girlfriend’s out there and we have no idea what’s going on and-”

“Charlie!” Garth grabbed her by both shoulders and spun her around before the mania could take control of her. “You need to take a deep breath, all right? Can you do that for me?”

She closed her eyes and tried, but when she was worked up like this it was damn near impossible.

Benny took a few steps towards Crowley and put his hands on his hips, “So you wanna be King and we’re all fine and dandy with that. But wouldn’t it serve you better if we were out there, fightin’ against your friends making sure that was gon’ happen? What’s the point of keeping us here? We could just double-cross you and kill you, if we’re out _there_  that ain’t happening.”

“Hm, you do have a point,” Crowley looked thoughtfully at the vampire and mulled over the suggestion. “But who’s to say you won’t go tattling to Lucifer and Abaddon about my ruse?”

“Crowley!” Charlie snapped. “That is the last thing on our mind! I don’t know if you know about _friendship?_  But it’s a little more important than screwing you over!”

“Kevin stays.” There was no room for discussion in his tone, “For insurance purposes. And I’ve grown quite fond of the little bugger.”

Kevin made a disgusted face and a shiver ran through his spine.

“That’s fine, I’ll stay here, too,” Garth volunteered. “Is that all right?”

Crowley considered, then almost instantly nodded, “Splendid, it’s your funeral. Ta-ta, maybe I’ll see you in hell. Oh, and Red? If it helps at all, your lover is headed to catacombs, alive and well. Have a good day.”

In a puff of smoke, Benny and Charlie vanished from the room.

\-------

“Cas? Are you all right?” Dean asked, the silence finally getting to him. Yeah, they were supposed to be quiet and sneaking around, but the silence was a heavy weight, like Castiel was thinking too hard about something rather than _just_ being quiet.

“Yes, Dean.”

His terse answer did the complete opposite. It even caused Meg to scoff.

“We obviously know that’s bullshit,” she mumbled as they hopped over a broken down wall.

Even if they drew attention, they were faster and stronger than the demons ambling through the palace. Stealth was just a tactic Castiel was used to, even though Dean and Meg would rather go in guns blazing. But that wasn’t the reason for Cas’ silence. Maybe he was using that 'battle tactic' as an excuse for his own purposes.

“I-It's been a while since I’ve seen my brother,” Cas admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.  “And I had hoped, with all the time that's passed, he would have come to his senses. I wish it wouldn’t have turned out like this.”

Meg outright snorted, “You’re cute. Nothing’s gonna change, so don’t even _try_ to talk to him. He hasn’t ‘come to his senses’ in a decade, I doubt seeing _you_ again is going to change a thing.”

“Again?” Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Oo, you didn’t know that?” Meg wrapped an arm around Dean’s shoulder, “Clarence was one of Lucifer’s favorites. He was pretty damn heartbroken when he joined the other side. Even _more_ heartbroken when he thought Cas was dead. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when he finds out _he’s_ the Angelic third of the Trinity. I’m sure there will be fireworks and a string quartet playing.”

“Meg!” Cas snapped, his eyes narrowing.

“Is that why you wanted it to be us to go against him, Cas?” Dean shrugged out of Meg’s grip and leaned over to take hold of his hand.

Castiel pulled away and merely said, “It was foretold it was to be us. It couldn’t be any other way.”

“Meg, go on ahead,” Dean said to the demon, and then took Cas by his hips and pushed him against a wall. “Hey. Come here.”

Cas tilted his head, “Dean, I am-”

Dean lifted his hands to cup both sides of Cas’ face before leaning in and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Be _here_. With _me_. Not in your head, all right? We’re gonna do this because we _have_ to - there’s no other way. I’m gonna be right here with you, just like you’re gonna be with there with me. We’re gonna win and then there will be victory make-outs and other stuff.” Dean pulled away just enough to kiss Cas’ lips. “I love you. We got this.”

“Yes.” Cas took a deep breath, “We do got this.”

“Atta boy,” he pulled away and gave Cas a good smack on the butt. “Let’s be badasses.”

“Thank you, Dean.”

He winked, “Don’t mention it.”

\-----

It was at times like this, Charlie missed cell phones, GPS or just good old straight up walkie-talkies. She wouldn't be picky either, give her a Nextel-flip-phone with fuckin' two-way. When they manifested... _somewhere_ , Benny chuckled.

“Well, Charlie, looks like he can’t be all bad.”

“What are you talking about, he-”

“Charlie?! Benny!?” A familiar voice rushed towards them and Charlie’s heart skipped a beat.

“Jo!” She lunged forward and practically tackled the blonde to the ground. She started spreading kisses across her face, but then pulled away to demanded, “Wait, why are you here? Did you already let the grace lose? Oh my God, is it over? Did we win?!”

Jo felt terrible to be the one to put a damper on Charlie’s momentary happiness but she shook her head and grabbed her hand. “No, come on. Your 'bad feeling' from before was real. We got fucked over. The grace was never in the damn palace to begin with. I got some inside information and I’m headed to the real location now. How did you even get here?”

Charlie let herself be pulled along and Benny followed right after them, while the redhead mumbled, “Uh, Crowley did us a solid?”

“What?” Jo’s eyes widened and she whipped back around to stare at her.

“Well who did _you_ get your information from?!”

“Bela?” Jo looked equally as ashamed by her source.

“Bela Talbot?!” Charlie yipped but kept up the pace Jo had set. “Woah, so Crowley’s our cheerleader, Bela’s a rat, and Balthazar is a backstabber? What the hell is going on?!”

“I can’t even pretend to know what’s happening,” Benny groused from behind. “Sounds like one ‘a those telenovelas things you girls used to watch.”

“We’re almost here!” Jo turned a corner and pulled a ring of keys from her pocket. She searched through to find the one Bela had instructed her to use.

While her attention was focused elsewhere, she heard a shriek and then the sound of two bodies hitting the floor. With a startled expression, she turned around to see Benny smiling, while two decapitated guard laid in puddles of blood at his feet.

“Damn, it feels good to be back,” he grinned with exhilaration, “I hope there’s more on the other side.”

“Don’t jinx it!” Jo jammed the key in the lock and turned it.

When the door gave way, it revealed about a dozen very angry and armed demons.

Charlie gulped and drew her blade, “Well, you got your wish.”

\-----------

Apparently, word of Sam's arrival had spread, and it was something that Ruby may have attributed to Balthazar. Once they breached the first line of gates, their officer disguises  _should_ have been enough for them to be able to walk among the others seamlessly. Instead of blending in, they did the opposite.

Demons and humans alike caught sight of them, eyes widened in terror and they ran in the other direction - at full fucking speed. At first Sam was confused, but it wasn’t a bad thing. It was almost like he was parting the Red Sea and it was a straight shot to Abaddon.

At least he didn’t have to worry about Ruby or Gabriel getting hurt in melee this way, their path was cleared and he couldn't help feeling a bit haughty at the fear he invoked.

“Such a celebrity,” Ruby snickered, and before they knew it, they were right in front of her door.

“That was way too easy, I don’t know what the hell to think.”

“Then don’t think too hard,” Ruby offered him a tight smile.

“It’s now or never, Sammy. Your powers are working on borrowed time and you gotta hit her while you’re at full strength and these scraps of paper are keeping Ruby and me going,” Gabe ordered, his whole being a ghostly shade of white, but still animated. He remained like a zombie. One hit, Gabriel would be taken away from him... for good. Sam wanted to vomit thinking about it.

Crossing that threshold, Sam was terrified if those talisman’s were targeted and ripped from the two they’d die immediately. They already looked dead and it was something that chilled him right down to the core.

“He’s right,” Ruby snapped, pulling Sam from his daze. “We have to get going, we can’t wait on this grace shit anymore. For all we know Jo and Balthazar could be dead!”

She looked just as hallow, and Sam physically shook himself out of it. Maybe that was someone Sam had been _praying_ for, that before they fell into this battle their friends would've completed their mission unlocking the grace, that Gabriel and Ruby could help him fight, that the fragility of their actual _lives_ was no longer an issue-

In that moment, he wished he wasn’t Trifecta. He wished he was Trinity - with the power of _healing_  and not _taking_ and _hurting_  was on his side. The other two were more important than that, he didn’t want to lose them, he loved them. But... it was what it was. It was how he was born, it was that darkness that lingered inside him.

It was the same darkness that propelled him forward and had him shouting out, “Abaddon!” as he surged into the room.

The redhead didn’t spin around to look at him, merely turned her head casually over her shoulder and smirked. “Oh, hello. Sam, was it?” She gracefully stood up from her chair, “Been hearing a lot about you from our little prophet. Glad the sexy one decided to go after little me so we could have some fun.”

Her stilettos clicked across the granite floor as she sauntered over, “Are you into foreplay? Or do you prefer to get right down to the main event? Never can tell with boys these days.”

Sam took a deep breath from the core of his being and felt the energy bubble up under the surface. The blood rushed through his veins, mixing together with his stomach acid, tissues and it soaked all the way into his bones. The floor began quaking and shattering under his weight - his vessel right on the edge of too small to hold all the compact and volatile power.

“Guess that answers my question,” she smiled like she was looking at her prey and whirled a hand around her head. “A little birdie told me about your mojo. About the exorcism and anti-demon juice you’ve got up there. Let’s see if it’ll do you any good if you can’t break through a _barrier_.”

A gold sheath of light surrounded her like a box, and when Sam propelled a heated blast of power forward - it ricocheted and collapsed a wall beside her instead.

She smirked. “All I have to do is wait this out, because I _also_ heard your power had a short shelf-live, huh?  I've got all day.  And even if you prefer to get right to it, I'd love to start with dirty talk and tell you all the terrible, nasty things I'm going to do to you once you're weak enough for me to take advantage of.”

She looked devious as she posed with a hip to the side and twirled a blood-red manicured finger through her equally red locks, “Let’s play a waiting game, shall we.”

Ruby’s heart dropped into her stomach from where her and Gabriel were watching, “Fucking cunt! She has a witch around here! She couldn't have created that barrier spell herself!”

Gabriel looked equally shocked, “Guess she was more prepared than we thought. Here I assumed this would be an easy win.”

Sam was fuming, caught in the moment, and instead of biding his time and saving his energy he was wrapped up in the rage and tried, fruitlessly, to break through the barrier. Dust was kicking up in the room and the echoing creak of the ceilings about to cave were all warnings.

Every attempt and every blast was met with a cackle from the Knight of Hell. Gabriel and Ruby were looking at each other with petrified expressions.

“A witch - okay, so it’s a witch. How do you find her? Locator spell, something!?” Gabriel was speaking a mile a minute and thanked God his brain was still somewhat in a working condition.

“Right, right,” Ruby tried to gather her thoughts, tried to think logically through the blood loss and impending black out - this _wasn’t_ the time to crack under pressure. “We need-”

Before she could finish that thought, Ruby started coughing violently and Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Dammit, this is not the time! Is the witch _here_? Just answer me that, I’ll find her!”

“Yes, she has to be in s-sight to cast the spell,” she managed to get out before falling to all fours. "She has to be focusing her energy on Abaddon to create a bond and the cage around her."

Gabriel awkwardly patted her on the back, “Uh, you...stay here. Don’t die, or whatever.”

He got to his feet and took of running. But not before catching Ruby’s middle finger out of the corner of his eye. At least she hadn’t lost her sass between a rock and a hard place.

\------------

Bela wasn’t one to throw herself into any situation where she could get nailed in the crossfire. She much preferred behind the scenes work and pushing people into roles rather than taking one herself. But now she had this niggling feeling that she had to do _something._ Something big was happening. If Balthazar was backstabbing, Jo was trying to get the Angel’s back their grace just what _else_ was going down?

She lounged on a bench putting her thoughts together.

On one hand, she had done enough. She got Jo away from a danger and actually showed her the right direction to carry out her mission.

On the other hand...there was still _more_ she could do.

What was Balthazar trying to accomplish?

Where was he taking her to begin with?

Although she wasn’t so much a warrior and couldn’t do much to face down the Trilogy in a display of brawn, her brain was on another level than any of the idiots here.

She could beat Balthazar at his own game...

That’s what she decided, as she got to her feet and marched with a very specific destination in mind.

\-------

Benny may have been cutting down guards right and left, but Jo and Charlie were not a force to be taken lightly. They had trained tirelessly in the Underground, lead by Anna and Meg the same way Dean and Sam had been, and passed each and every one of their tests. Even Benny was impressed.

Although there wasn’t time or enough breath in the melee to chant an exorcism, Charlie had learned a few Latin phrases to stun the enemy enough to slit throats and slash the demons down with magic-blessed knives.

One body tumbled lifelessly to the ground after another.

“What number you at, Char?” Jo called over her shoulder.

“Four!” She answered with a grunt while she kicked her foot out and knocked a demon away from her. “How about you?”

“Fourth just went down!” Like clockwork, another heavy thud hit the ground.

Benny cut down the last of them with his sword and raised his eyebrows, “Remind me never to fuck with you ladies.”

Jo wiped a splatter of blood from her face and smiled, “Well, _duh_. Thought you would have known that by now.”

The three turned and walked down the small crypt where a dull yet pulsing glow was coming from. It looked very similar to the locked box where Cas had sealed away the grace expelled from Dean’s body: but this was massive. And _impossibly_ brighter once they were at ground zero. The three had to shield their eyes from where the glow was burning like the sun out from the cracks in order to look over the runes.

“What the hell does that say?” Benny squinted as his hands trailed over the carvings. “Doesn’t look as easy to open as I thought...”

“It’s Enochian.” Charlie tilted her head to the side, trying to comprehend the scribbles.

“This must be why we needed Balthazar. To translate it. Angels are fluent, obviously,” Jo sounded bitter, her head still fuming angrily over the man’s apparently betrayal. “Can you crack it, Charlie?”

She knelt to the rough gravel ground and studied it closely. The minutes seemed to drag on and both Jo and Benny were getting antsy, not knowing whether or not reinforcements would be coming at any second. Soon, there were footsteps pattering down the halls in the distance. Something that didn’t bode well for anyone in the room.

“You gettin' anything from it? Yes? No?” The nervous feeling in Jo’s chest was starting to grow by the second. Although it was only two pairs of footfalls quickly approaching, who knew who they belonged to.

They were in an enemy base and their friends were few and far between with their own missions. If there were only two... who knows which big bads were sent to clean up the mess the three rebels had made.

Benny jumped at an unfamiliar voice and drew his swords.

“Oo, _hello_ , handsome.”

Charlie whipped around at the familiar coo, her eyes widening to the size of saucers, “The hell!?”

“Bela, what are you-” Jo’s voice cut out quickly as another figure was kicked to the ground with an echoing skid.

Balthazar glared up with a certain intensity, bounded and gagged, and bleeding from a few wounds on his body.

Bela, on the other hand, looked bored.

“Figured you may be having trouble with the Enochian. Such an annoying language, don’t you think?” She mused, “I believed a translator would come in handy.”

She knelt down and patted the blonde on the head, “Found him doing some very questionable things, but I have bad manners as well. It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Care to help a little, darling?” She asked, without removing the gag. “Yes, you would? That’s what I thought. After all, you know how much I like it rough, and we wouldn’t want you to get in over your head. You know I don't believe in safe words.”

“This is Bela?” Benny asked in disbelief, “I think I like her.”

Charlie scoffed, but turned her attention from the runes to the scene playing out in front of her. “Most men do. If he’s a traitor and he unlocks this for us, you know he’s gonna have his grace back, too, right? How the hell are we going to handle him when he’s pissy and vengeful?”

Bela tapped on the cuffs linked at his wrists, “Angel binding links. Plus, you know I don’t leave home without an angel blade,” she pulled out the shining silver dagger, “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

\-----------

  
Gabriel _knew_ it was stupid. He _knew_ he was playing with fire. One wrong turn and one reach was all it would take for the talisman to be ripped from his body and death would crash down on him. But if he didn’t take the risk? All of them would die. And, fuck, he wasn’t going to let that happen to Sam.

They were all in tune with each other and he could feel the man’s power seep away minute by minute.  He wasn't going to be able to attack for much longer, because that damn idiot moose _kept trying_. He was expending energy, trying to crack through the barrier and if he wasn’t emotional and out of his mind with sheer power he’d know that it wasn’t going to work. Gabe wanted to scream at him to stop, but right now stealth was all he had. Although Abaddon couldn’t touch Sam, Gabriel was an entirely different story.

The demon could demolish him with one snap of her fingers, barrier or not.

Which was why he was creeping around the outside. Gabe was making leaps in between Sam’s dumbass attacks - which, at least, were working as distractions - he was trying to feel the pull of any energy in the room.

Although Sam and Abaddon were the main, gigantic force of magic in the room, a witches magic was very, _very_ different.

He would know. He’d worked very closely with them in his centuries as Loki.

Always hated them.

Maybe that’s why he felt no remorse stealing Ruby’s boyfriend. She was just another witch-bitch-turned-demon.

Now he was getting close, he could feel it.

He ducked around a collapsed pillar towards the edge of the room, and that's where he came face to face with someone who was decidedly _not_ a witch. But it was a magic he was painfully familiar with, all the same.

“Kali, fancy seeing you here,” he crossed his arms as he saw the woman deep in concentration, energy and attention focused on Abaddon.

“Gabriel?” Her eyes widened and there was shock on her face before she schooled her features back into sharp indifference. “Didn’t know I’d be seeing _you_ again. Doesn’t look as if life’s been treating you very well, though.”

“Meh, been better,” he shrugged and took another step towards her. “Don’t suppose you could do me a teeny-tiny favor and stop this little barrier spell you’ve got going on here? For old times sake? That’d really help me out a lot.”

She snickered and rolled her eyes, “You can’t charm your way out of this one, Gabriel. I suggest you take a seat and wait until your comrade has ran out of juice. I’ll kill you with much more mercy than Abaddon will kill him.”

“Hm, how about no,” Gabriel was trying to think quick on his feet, but then after a moment...

 _-_ he didn’t _have_ to.

At first, he thought the talisman was ripped off because he felt his body jolt and rush _-_  but it wasn’t the type of sensation where the life was taken _from_ you.

It was the hot, heady rush of life being pumped back _in_.

“Well, _hot damn!_ ” Gabriel cheered, as his body began to vibrate, and the air in the very room changed and seemed to light on fire around him. “Looks like those hoodlums did it!”

Everyone froze when there was a flash of blue-white light, and - as it dimmed down - their attention was singularly focused on finding out what the hell was going on.

Sam’s jaw had dropped open and his mouth was dry. He felt it. He _knew_ what it was _._

When the light faded a lot of things happened at once.

The loud snapping noise of Kali’s neck breaking.

The fizzle of the barrier collapsing around Abaddon.

And the cheeky cheer of Gabriel bragging with utter _glee_  through the room, “This sexy archangel's got his mojo back, fuckers!”


	25. Fragments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Something was wrong._
> 
> _Dean could feel the blade pulsing, could feel his heart racing, could feel the energy but couldn’t see a damn thing..._
> 
> _He was here. He had to be._
> 
> _“Cas-” Dean’s voice was unsteady as he circled around himself, eyes darting around what looked to be an open room._
> 
> _There weren’t places to hide, there weren’t guards there wasn’t anything. But, dammit, Dean could feel him. The grace in Cas had amplified the grace in him, and it was like a freaky, high-powered angel sensor. Not like he needed it, a newborn child could probably sense Satan._
> 
> _“Lucifer! Show yourself!”_
> 
> _“I just had to figure it out, first.” The silky coo of a voice came from Meg’s left, and they spun around. “I needed a chance to gaze upon your lovely faces. So strange to see them all again. Minus the eye candy in the center. No idea who he is, but if rumors are correct, he’s the Righteous Man, or something, huh?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/11/15

They were passed another line of guards who were scurrying because of the chaos that had been let loose upon the empire. It was right around then that Cas gasped loudly and crashed to his knees.

In a flash, Dean and Meg rushed over to him, but when their hands reached to grab hold of him and help him to his feet, their skin sizzled like they were burned by a phantom fire. They looked at each other with wide eyes, and it Dean who finally yelped out, “What the hell is going on?!”

Castiel was heaving, the same fire they'd felt consumed him - he radiated energy, and within a series of moments...the question was answered for them.

It wasn’t the bright white they had been expecting, but a pale blue that rushed and mixed with the previous white aura that had encased him. The gift from Dean. He grunted as his silhouette became as bright as the sun, and only after it dimmed did he slowly rise to his feet.

He kept staring at his hands with wide eyes, like he didn’t quite believe it himself. “They succeeded,” was his only breathless statement.

Meg grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around to face her. As she squinted, she let her eyes roam over the energy in front of her. It wasn’t something Dean could see quite like the demon could, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t _feel_ it. She was gleeful when she noted, “You’re stronger...”

“What?” Dean urged her forward. He knew it but wanted to know _why_.

“Your Grace, it’s back,” she ran a hand down the side of Cas’ confused face, smiling contently at him, “But it’s even stronger than _before_... You didn’t lose Dean’s, you kept it, and you’ve leveled up.” She laughed and dropped both her hands before pushing them into her pockets, “Way to leave me in the dust, boys.”

Cas’ hand reached forward of its own volition and cradled Meg’s face. She instantly doubled over as another rush of that foreign power flowed into her body. It was unnatural for a demon to hold grace, and it itched under her skin and covered her in a sheen of sweat but... It wasn’t any more unpleasant than the first time.

“We’ll never leave you ’in the dust,’ Meg.” Castiel released her and smirked, “We’re equals.”

She swatted at him and mumbled, “ _Fuck_ , I feel dirty.”

“Only you would feel dirty from angelic grace,” Dean chuckled, but his eyes never left Cas. “She was right, you know.”

Cas finally looked at Dean and tilted his head.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes.” He couldn’t help rushing forward and kissing the angel hard on the mouth, “Congrats, Cas. Welcome back.”

“I-” he stuttered as Dean pulled away, “it’s what I’ve wanted for so long,” he looked sheepish to admit it out loud. “I never imagined I’d actually be able to have it again.”

“Now we’re ready,” Meg yanked them out of their moment by their shoulders. “Come on, boys, can’t keep Lucifer waiting.”

\-----------

Abaddon spun around the room to see she was blocked in on both sides by the Prodigal Boy King she had been warned about and an in-the-flesh Archangel. She ground her teeth before pulling forward false bravado and cackling out, “Well, seems I'm in a bind now, aren't? I heard you had a century old romance with Kali, Gabriel. Didn’t think it would be that easy for you to kill her,” she took a step forward and taunted. “Guess you’re more of a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. I can appreciate that. We're very much alike, you and I. I know all about your past.”

Sam raised an eyebrow at that and Gabriel offered a shrug as he ripped off his own talisman, “What can I say, I found someone a little better. Besides, Kali was a bitch - didn’t call, didn’t write. You know, I was lashing out. I’m a little dramatic when it comes to breakups.”

If Sam hadn’t been in the middle of the battlefield, he would have snorted out something along the lines of ‘should I be worried?’ but he knew that this was Abaddon’s plan to stall. Sam wanted this to be over, he didn’t need to get into bouts of meaningless banter with Gabriel right now. He recognized someone stirring the hornet’s nest when he saw it, so he turned his attention back to the Knight of Hell and stated, “I think your time’s run out.”

She snorted, a blade manifesting in her hands and boldly walked towards Sam, “Give me your best shot, tiger.”

Sam was beginning to feel the effects of the blood draining, he was dumb and in his rage-filled fit, he threw out too much magic when it wasn’t going to work against that damn barrier. He was going to have to dig deep. Apparently, he was concentrating longer than he thought, because before he could attack, he found himself on his back with a feral looking woman on top of him.

“Can’t exactly use my demon powers on you, but I can still slit that pretty little throat the old fashion way,” the blade was cold and bit along his flesh as she used her weight to push harder against him, “But nice try, Sammy. Too bad you ran out of mojo.”

Arms wrapped around her from behind and wrestled her into a headlock. Sam was already preparing to blast her to kingdom come before she was ripped away from his body.

“Do it, dammit!” Gabriel shouted, as the Knight struggled in his arms, clawing and kicking against the archangel.

Sam closed his eyes and felt the world spin around him. He concentrate on bringing every last bit he had in him into this attack. The barrier was gone, Gabe was going to keep her in place, it was now or never. He only had enough juice for _one more attack_.

He went to that dark place inside that had always been a part him. It was ingrained so deeply into his body he needed to find the root of it all. He went deep enough to feel his organs shift and his blood boil. It started as a surge in the very _molecules_  which made up the pit of his stomach and gushed upward through his limbs and focused into his hands. He didn’t even notice the crashing of walls, the tunnel of wind and the screams in the room as his rapt attention was on the force clenched in his palms. He felt a river of blood trickling from his nose, and it was only then that he opened his eyes to the scene around him.

Abaddon was contorted in Gabriel’s grip, black smoke puffing from her pores and body flashing like a strobe light of hellfire. She was screaming - the most terrible, shrill, glass-shattering sound that echoed in Sam’s ears - she was fighting to hold on.

“Finish it!” Gabriel was struggling to hold her as she twisted in his grip.

Her fingernails bit into his skin like talons and Sam could swear he heard the crunch of bone, but he had no idea which of the two it had come from.

Sam gripped the last surge of the power close...

And then let it _fly_.

The scream was blood curdling, and Gabriel fled from the blast. Sam was dizzy, his vision was in and out, and he hoped so badly it was enough.

\---------

Something was wrong.

Dean could feel the blade pulsing, could feel his heart racing, could feel the energy but couldn’t see a damn thing.

He was _here_. He had to be.

“Cas-” Dean’s voice was unsteady as he circled around himself, eyes darting around what looked to be an open room.

There weren’t places to hide, there weren’t guards, there wasn’t anything. But, dammit, Dean could feel him. The grace in Cas had amplified the grace in him, and it was like a freaky, high-powered angel sensor. Not like he needed it, a newborn fucking child could probably sense Satan.

“Lucifer! Show yourself!”

“I just had to figure it out first.” The silky coo of a voice came from Meg’s left, and they spun around. “I needed a chance to gaze upon your lovely faces. So strange to see them all again. Minus the eye candy in the center. No idea who he is. But if rumors are correct - he’s the Righteous Man or something, huh?”

All three were immediately on guard as Lucifer casually made his way through the room.

“You’re damn right!”

Dean had never seen him in the flesh, he'd just heard stories and it was strange to see the man in front of him as the one in the tales and legends. He didn’t seem particularly ’evil dictator’ when you looked at him, but maybe in the back of Dean’s mind he was still imagining a little red guy with horns. Either way, his tall stature, sandy blonde hair and impeccable white suit wasn’t what he was anticipating.

“My sweet little Meg,” he kept pacing, but not approaching any of them, just nonchalantly passing time. “I wondered where you'd disappeared to. I was going to reward you greatly after you helped me with the tablets, but once you left I didn’t know _what_ to think. I had a place all set up for you, you know. But I suppose the glamorous life with traitors always was the dangerous and wild life you were seeking, was it not?”

“I’m all for chaos, you know that,” she was speaking slowly, as if addressing a scolding father - which Dean guessed she kind of was. “But I can’t exactly cause chaos in a world caving in on itself. You kinda dropped the ball on this one, dad.”

“I’ll say,” Dean scoffed, gripping the blade tighter, just waiting for an attack.

But, apparently, that was the last thing on the man’s mind. Was he just planning on stalling until the end of the world or some shit?

This time, he did walk closer and they all twitched back. Yet the only thing that held his focus was Castiel.

“Brother.” His words were indistinguishable in tone. “I thought you dead.”

Cas didn’t say a word, but the faint glow of grace swelled ever-so-slightly around him and gave his thoughts away.

“I mourned you,” for the first time, Lucifer’s voice cracked and intensified, “I’m disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” Castiel finally echoed, “What could I have done to cause disappointment? Because I wouldn’t join you?”

“You and I were the same, Castiel. I wanted you to rule _with_ me, by my side. You were my favorite, we could have had peace and order. Well,” a small smirk rose to his face, “maybe not _peace_ , but we could have made this kingdom work. I was surrounded by these idiots instead. And you see where that got us. Stand down. I don’t want to have to mourn you again.”

There was genuine regret in Lucifer’s eyes and Dean had no idea how to take it. This interaction reminded him of the bond Cas shared with Gabriel. Scratch that... it wasn't even close. It was the type of bond he, himself, shared with _Sam_. But that wasn’t right-

\- Was this why Cas had been so worried about the battle?

“I wanted to save you.” Cas clenched his jaw, his gaze unwavering, “You could have stopped it before it spiraled out of control, but you were childish and acted as though it wasn’t your problem. What was I supposed to do? I saved those I could, and got them out of your failed kingdom _._  I gave them a chance at happiness while they could still have it.”

“Oo,” Lucifer mused, “So I take it your little sanctuary worked out, then? You always had wished to return to Heaven, it‘d make sense that you‘d create one of your very own. How _cute_.”

Cas didn’t answer, but it made Dean’s stomach drop.

If this didn’t work, would Lucifer storm the Underground? Would he demand retribution through the people down there?

There was no more time, everything was going to be ending soon anyway, they needed to fight for what little time they had _left_ -

The earth shook violently and everyone stumbled in their steps. The floor was cracking and the pillars were creaking and shifting under the weight of the uneven ceiling.

Dean’s eyes darted between the others, the energy they felt was _unmistakable_.

“Hm,” Lucifer put a finger on his chin. “It appears you managed to at least kill Abaddon. Guess we shouldn’t draw this out much longer then, shall we?”

\--------

His ears were ringing and he couldn’t focus but he stood up anyway. He tripped over rubble, unable to see it underfoot through the kicked-up dust but he knew. He just _knew_.

Abaddon was dead.

He stumbled, knowing there was somewhere he was supposed to be, something that was drawing him in... but he couldn’t focus. His brain wasn’t working. He wiped the blood from his nose and his mouth and maybe- ... Was it dripping from his ears, too? Yes, but those were the only wounds he could feel on his body. Not like internal wounds were anything to scoff at, though.

He heard a muffled groan from one corner of the room, “...mmy?”

The ringing subsided as the voice hit him like a bucket of cold water.

Sam could finally run directly to the source.

Before he could see _her_ , he could see the torn and tattered _talisman_ flapping by him in the gush of the exposed tower. The dust was clearing, he could see an entire wall had been taken out and he could see the night outside. But none of that mattered because _Ruby’s talisman had been ripped off_.

“Gabe!” Sam shouted and he charged with a new found terror in the direction of Ruby’s voice, “Gabriel! Heal Ruby, Ruby needs-”

He slid to his knees as soon as he saw her laying on the floor.

Sam could see the light fading from Ruby’s eyes, it was dimming by the second. He could feel the remaining power in his blood dimming in time to her life force. He wrapped his arms around her from where she was prone, resting her weight in his lap. She was still alert enough to see him.

Really _see him_.

“Oh, Sammy,” she mumbled, coughing around the blood filling her mouth, “Shoulda known it was going to end like this. But at l-least we got that bitch good, right?”

“Y-Yeah,” he choked out. “Got her real good. Just hold on, I’ll get Gabe, everything is gonna be all right, he can heal you, he can-”

“It’s too late. He doesn’t need us anymore. He’s a fuckin’ all-powerful Archangel, Pagan God again. He’s the one that was gonna do it, n-never...it was never gonna be us, Sam.” She tried to lean into his touch further, “You’re too good, and ‘m too bad. Doesn’t make sense. He’s got the power, he’s got the brain, he’s got it _all._  No wonder you chose him over me.”

She was trying to be humorous, but it was laced with a bitter spite, “I g-get it.”

“What are you talking about?“ Sam didn’t understand the things she was saying, she must have been delirious. So he went with something he did understand. “Ruby, you _know_ I love you,” he was choking back tears. “You found me, you built me up, you gave me the strength to be who I am, and _nothing_ is gonna change that,” he pulled her tighter in his arms.

Her eyes weren’t focused on him anymore, they were looking just past his shoulder. She nodded to whatever it was she was looking at and laughed a little before her head felt heavy like a lead weight.

“Sammy?” She rasped out, a new gush of blood pouring from her mouth.

“Ruby, Ruby - relax, _please_ , stay with me. Gabe will be here anytime!”

“When the time comes,” she pulled her face down until they were close enough to kiss, “Jump.”

Then she was gone.

\---------

Gabriel winced as he felt a familiar life force run out and cursed himself for disappearing so quickly. After he knew Abaddon was done for and Sam was all right, his sense of duty kicked in full force and he needed to make sure his _comrades_ were all right. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Ruby, per se, it was that he cared about the others a whole hell of a lot more. Which is why he found himself in the catacombs to make sure they were all alive first.

He staggered a bit and found himself in Jo’s arms before he knew what hit him.

“Gabe?!” She demanded, and tried to get him standing up right. “Are you okay?”

He winced as he tried to calm down the vertigo, “Yes ma'am, still kickin‘. Just forgot how to spread my little angel wings. It’s been a hot sec.”

“You’re bleeding!” Charlie rushed forward to take stock of the wounds littering his body, but she was gently pushed aside.

“This?” He raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers, making them disappear instantly. “Bam. All better. Damn, I love being an angel.”

“Thank God it worked,” Bela took a deep breath and glared at Balthazar who was still bound on the ground. “I was almost worried he had found a sneaky way to bring back his grace and not the others.”

“If only I was that resourceful, love,” he bitterly spat, and Gabriel looked at him curiously.

“Did he wanna break out the bondage in celebration, or something?”

“Double-fuckin'-agent.” Jo barely resisted the urge to kick him. “The Trilogy knew he was working for us, didn’t make him give away information or location, as long as he hand delivered a hostage they could use as a bargaining chip. Which just so happened to be me.”

“Eh, I always look out for number one.”

“And you?” Gabriel let his eyes roam over Bela suspiciously, who shrugged her shoulders in response.

“I double-agent-ed the other way around. In a moment of madness, that is. But apparently the madness paid off. At least I think. I can only assume that if you’re here and not with your own little crew, Abaddon is dead?"

“Obviously,” he nearly tripped again, apparently not quite as ‘angel-healed’ as he thought. “Glad you mutton heads are all good and you did some mission-accomplished stuff. Sammy killed the bitch, but I maaaay be on his shit-list because I hightailed it out of there to make sure you guys were all right and,” he winced, “may or may not have been around to save Miss Ruby.”

No one said a word, and just looked at him curiously.

“It wasn’t intentional. And I’m sorry for the sappy moment, but you’re kinda my priority and it’s been a hot sec since we touched base, okay?!” His face betrayed him and he flushed in embarrassment. “So you’re all accounted for, but I can’t help but wonder...where’s Kevin?”

“With Crowley,” Benny said simply, before Charlie could feel guilty all over again. “He’s safe, if you can believe that. But we’ve got some other information that kinda causes some issues.”

Gabriel leaned against the stone wall to his side and crossed his arms as he used it to balance his unstable weight, “Always with the _issues_. All right. What’s the problem now?”

“In the Trilogy, Trinity and Trifecta,” Charlie bit her lip. “According to the prophesy? Only _one_  member is supposed to make it out of each group alive.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Gabriel pushed himself off the wall as quickly as he had leaned in. “I gotta get back to Sammy,” but as he tried to concentrate his energy, a wave of exhaustion hit him and he nearly face-planted onto the ground.

“You all right, brother?” Benny was quick to kneel beside him, “You’re tired, you’ve done a lot, already.”

Gabriel shoved away Benny’s supportive hand on his back and pressed his forehead against his knees, “No... I shouldn’t have come here, I should’ve stayed with Sam-”

“We can run?” Jo suggested. “Just because you’re out of angel juice doesn’t mean we can’t handle things the _human_ way. Unless you’re Archangel-spoiled already,” she tried to tease, and brought Gabe to feet. “The sooner we head out the better.”

“I’ll take care of this asshole,” Bela actually did kick Balthazar swiftly in the gut this time. “Nothing weighing you down. Get going.”

“Thanks, Bela,” Charlie was sincere as she grabbed the woman’s hand and squeezed. “Glad you’re one of the good guys again.”

“Don’t make your girlfriend jealous, Charlie,” she snickered. “And don’t tell anyone. It’ll ruin my reputation.”

\--------

Gabriel could feel him, _and_ he could also feel how slow he was moving. It was like he had a Sam-based navigation system in his bones which made sense, because Sam was carrying a part of him. When he couldn’t teleport back to him, he could still feel him sitting and lingering where the light had gone out in the other third of the Trifecta.

The damn kid was moping, hovering over Ruby’s dead body and didn’t move for what felt like forever _._

Which is why Gabriel felt it so urgent to get back there.

He didn’t want Sam to suffer alone, he needed to be there for him and he felt absolutely awful he had left. But how could he have known this was going to happen? He figured Sam would take care of Ruby, and after Gabe zapped away to make sure everyone else was all right, he could zap back and wrap up anything that still needed to be handled.

How _wrong_ he was.

Gabriel was leading the march, so damn thankful he could feel Sam stalling and pacing the same room he had left him in... but if there was only one prophesied to make it out, did that mean someone was going to swoop in and kill him? Crowley was still out there, he was a threat _,_  and as much as he wanted to lay low who's to say once Lucifer was out of the picture, he wouldn’t pop out and finish picking his own MVPs for his new little world?

Sam wasn’t strong enough to defend himself. He was a fucking sitting duck.

This fact alone propelled Gabriel faster and he was thankful the others kept up the pace. The commotion and complete chaos had left the palace mostly empty, the guards feared for their own lives and had headed for some kind of refuge. They didn’t know _what_ had laid siege; they just knew demons were dying and they were not used to being on the endangered species list. Cowards.

“We’re getting close!”

Although Gabriel’s angel juice kept him on a level playing field as Benny‘s vampire nature, the others were panting and had sweat dripping from their bodies.

“’Bout time,” Jo choked out as they looked down a hallway and could feel a breeze. “What is...”

“Oh, did I mention we kinda destroyed this entire wing of the palace during the showdown?” Gabriel snickered, “Tacky shit. Needed some remodeling, anyway.”

As they approached closer, the wind got stronger and stronger until it felt like a tornado.

“Wait-” Charlie started right as Gabriel threw open the door to the room where they’d killed Abaddon, and the location he felt Sam still pacing.

If the outside felt like a tornado, this felt like a _hurricane_.

Sam was on the edge of the ledge, looking out. The wind was snapping his hair and clothing wildly and it looked like one wrong footfall would send him teetering over the edge. Which was why he had gone from pacing to shifting from foot to foot, but it still made Gabe's breath catch in his throat watching Sam.

“What the _fuck_ kinda weather is this?!” Benny yelled over the gusting sounds, his voice barely audible against the storm.

While the others fought against the whirls to walk in, Gabriel made a B-line for Sam.

After a few steps, Jo, Charlie and Benny froze in the tracks, catching sight of the scene unfolding outside the broken walls. They suddenly knew what was causing the weather, and it caused ice to run though their veins.

Whether Gabriel saw it or not, there wasn't a thing that could stop him from grabbing Sam and hauling him away from where he was enraptured, looking out to the sight over the ledge. “C’mon, Giagantor, you’ve had enough alone time,” and yanked Sam's almost dead-weight out of the room.

While Gabe pulled the man directly back out into the hall, the others faltered in their steps to turn around. Charlie had to be caught by Jo as her knees felt weak and almost failed her. After snapping out of the daze, Benny quickly ushered the women back out into the hall and slammed the door behind them, hoping to block out the sight.

Sam was collapsed on Gabriel’s lap stifling his sobs, while the smaller man was rubbing circles on his back, “I’m sorry, Sammy, I’m so sorry.”

Benny was the only one still standing as the girls fell ungracefully to the ground due to the gravity of what they'd witnessed.

“Did you-”

“I-I....”

Gabriel pressed a kiss to Sam’s forehead before steeling his expression and looking to his comrades, “Hopefully the idiots finish up quick, it looks like time is just about up.”

“So that was what we thought it was,” Benny’s expression was grave as he met Gabriel’s face.

“Yep. Looks like the edge is about to swallow us whole.”

\---------

Dean was ecstatic that Abaddon was dead, it meant Sammy was alive. He'd _done it_ , he had killed her! They were one step closer to finishing this - but now there was a different energy that had rained down and covered Lucifer. Not just an energy, an attitude. He was haughty, and looked pretty damn superior for someone who’s comrade had just been murdered and was the next one looking down his own fate.

“Three against one, huh. You have to admit that’s not exactly fair is it, Castiel?” Lucifer asked, raising an eyebrow and, God, the balls of steel he must have had on him... he actually turned his back on his enemies to walk away to a side of the marbled room, commenting. “Such a bully, you’ve become.”

Castiel remained completely silent and merely studied him.

It was a strange tug of war Dean had going on inside his head. He was used to Cas taking charge because he was the leader back in the Underground. But apparently Dean was the prophesied Righteous Man, right? Was Cas waiting for him to make a move? Dean was nervous and swallowed as he looked back and forth between Lucifer, Cas, and Meg’s frozen posture. He wasn’t going to make the first move, he decided. Cas knew his brother better than anyone, he knew what would catch him off guard, what would work, and what would be the best way to slit this bastard's throat.

What Dean didn’t expect, in his moment of hesitancy, was Lucifer to stroll out of the shadows with two men flanking him.

“Meg, my daughter, and Dean, the thorn in my side. Meet Michael and Raphael.” Lucifer tilted his head and sneered, “Castiel, my brother, I believe you’re already _well_ acquainted _.”_


	26. The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You’re a monster,” Meg could feel Cas’ devastation echo through the bond as she chose her words, “and that’s something, coming from me.”_
> 
> _“And I’ll take that as a compliment.”_
> 
> _Dean’s rage burned bright, and before he knew what he was doing, he was charging. It was time to end the suffering, it was time to put him in his place and end it all. With the first blade throbbing in his hand, craving and demanding blood, he was ready to tear all the way through Lucifer’s damn soul._
> 
> _It was time to kill the devil._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/11/15

Something that made Dean more nervous than the names of the Archangels (of course Dean recognized the damn names, who wouldn’t?) was the fear that it seemed to strike in Castiel’s heart.

Meg knew it too, and right away. “Cas, get your shit together,” she hissed from behind him.

But Dean knew.

It was that same bond he recognized in Cas that he felt with Lucifer.

The pull of _family_.

Shit, Cas had really drawn the short end of the straw this time, hadn’t he? Lucifer was using it to his advantage, flaunting it, and breaking Castiel’s fucking heart. Dean could see it written on Cas' face. The other man was trying - and failing miserably _-_  to hide it. The damn prophesy sure didn’t predict this. But there had to be a reason it didn’t list ‘Showdown with Lucifer, accompanied by remaining Archangels’ in the script. Castiel stopped in his tracks, when he looked like he was actually finally going to attack.

“Something’s wrong...” His voice was just above a breathless whisper - confused and disbelieving.

“What are you talking about?” Dean demanded, because from where he was standing and where they were quickly approaching, they looked pretty damn right _-_  in the impending doom kind of way.

“They’re not them. Not _really_.” Cas took quick steps backwards and shouted angrily, “What did you do to them, Lucifer?!”

He smirked and stepped away to watch the dance unfold before him, Castiel not ready to strike until he had his answer, “You know. Just a little payback for all my millennium in the cage. Just gave them a little taste of what I went through and they broke much quicker than I thought they would. Although, I do admit to making the process a little more... _hellish_.” He grinned widely, clearly proud of himself. “I devoured their grace, so there’s no getting it back. But I would, very much, like to see how you slaughter your haunted, empty shells of brethren. You’d be doing them a favor - they _want_ to die. Are practically _begging_ for it. Even if you can’t quite see it on their broken little faces.”

“You’re a monster,” Meg could feel Cas’ devastation echo through the bond as she chose her words, “and that’s something, coming from _me_.”

“And I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Dean’s rage burned bright, and before he knew what he was doing, he was charging. It was time to end the suffering, it was time to put him in his place and end it once and for all. With the first blade throbbing in his hand, craving and demanding blood, he was ready to tear all the way through Lucifer’s damn _soul_.

It was time to kill the devil.

\-------

“We could see it, the weather was freaky, the ground was falling away...but it looks like it’s still miles and miles out,” Charlie reasoned, as they made their way back to where they knew Crowley had snatched them up from before. “It hasn’t reached the Underground, and it hasn’t reached the city. But it’s happening faster than we thought.”

“Yeah, but the fact is that we _saw it_ ,” Jo’s negativity showed through as they walked. “I don’t know if going to Crowley is the best course of action given the... uh, survival-of-the-fittest circumstances,” she hushed her voice when she leaned over to Charlie. “I know we’re not telling Sam about it right now. But if we hand deliver two of the Trifecta to his doorstep and he wants to get this show on the road? He’s going to take matters into his own hands.”

“I know, I know,” Charlie frowned, but she didn’t exactly know _what_ to do.

What she did know is she wanted to get back to Kevin. Their mission, well, two of their missions had been completed and now all they could do was wait as the Trinity faced Lucifer down. That was way above all their pay grades at the moment, and they would be hindering more than helping if they became involved. They could be used as hostages, they'd be liabilities. They could be killed on sight. There were too many things that could go terribly wrong the second the walked in and they knew it.

Even if they were quiet, Gabriel’s angel listening skills were on high alert and in the back of his mind he agreed with what Jo was saying. Which was why before they got any further, he stopped in his tracks.

“Hey. You guys go on ahead, I need a little bit of bonding time with Sammy.” It wasn’t a question, it was an order - and both Jo and Charlie knew their problem was solved. For the time being, at least.

“All right, you catch up soon,” Benny nodded, and the others continued to walk as Gabe tugged Sam into the next room he could find.

When he opened the door, it turned out to be some kind of dining area. But the whole point was that it had _seats_. So it was easy to push Sam down into one and for Gabriel to take a deep breath in to gather himself.

Seeing the black hole so close to the city was _terrifying_ , but in the moment, the thought of losing Sam was so much _more_. Now that he had time to think about it, away from the whirling wind directly in front of the crushing weight of their mortality. Even now being shut tight into a room with the two of them alone together, the sight made the end a very real possibility. Gabriel heaved a sigh and rubbed his forehead, where it was pounding with a migraine from overexertion of his newly-returned grace and dire thoughts.

He’d only seen the edge once before. Castiel and himself were out on a recon mission, they were only ones brave (and stupid) enough to see just how far out the edge was, and gauge how much time they had left. Along the way, they had set up sensors; so as they dropped off the map headquarters would be informed of the progress and how quickly it was eating away at the city. It was the crazy winds that were prelude to the edge then, as well. It was chilling, and while Gabriel cracked some kind of joke, Castiel stone-face reprimanded him and reminded him just how serious it was.

However, that had been when it was countless miles away when they turned their backs and headed to base last time and Gabriel _could_ joke, not just a few. Shit just got real.

Strangely, what was hitting him the hardest was the man in front of him.

“Sam,” Gabriel tried, as he stepped forward and ran a hand through Sam’s hair again. “Talk to me, kid.”

Sam had been completely silent, save a few errant sobbing grunts of pain when they were walking along. And Gabriel _hated_ it. Mostly because he didn’t know just how much of it was his fault. Was this all about Ruby? Was it the fatigue? Was it his power draining? Or was it heartbreak over the chick he maybe, possibly, should’ve been there to save? Or was it seeing the end unfold right in front of his eyes while standing right up on that ledge? He wouldn’t know unless he got a response.

Gabriel continued running a hand through his hair, but he also used his other hand to lift Sam’s chin. He was lax and went willingly but-

Sam wasn’t making eye contact.

“C’mon. Say something, I’m going crazy here.” Gabriel tried again, a little bit of helplessness leaking into his tone.

Slowly, _uncomfortably_ slowly, hazel eyes met gold ones.

“I’m glad you got your grace back,” his throat was raw, and he managed a fake half-smile. “Sorry, I just. I-I don’t know.”

“It’s all right. We took down Abaddon, we finished our mission. You can relax now, okay?” Gabriel leaned forward and kissed the top of Sam’s clammy brow. “You earned it.”

“We didn’t finish our mission, we, _I_ fucked up. Ruby’s _dead_. The end is _still_ happening, if... I-I shouldn’t have been an idiot and should’ve finished her off sooner,” Sam choked back another sob. “It’s all my fault. I fucked you guys up, you-”

“Enough of this.” Gabe wouldn't listen to another second and rolled his eyes, then roughly (maybe too roughly, but it’d been a while since he’d known his own power) grabbed Sam’s face and held it firm, “You did good. Damn good. I’m proud as hell of you. And even though we’re all sad about what happened to Ruby, we knew it was a possibility. Hell, even _I_ knew heading into battle I could have died too, getting my grace back wasn't a sure thing and I was prepared. C’mon, Sammy. This isn’t the time for a breakdown, you need to be strong. Your brother’s still out there. He's still fighting. And whatever cost comes of that, you need to be here for _him._ Now's not the time to give up.”

Sam swallowed and nodded, taking in the other man’s words. Because that was an idea he could cling to - the idea of being strong for _Dean_ , like Dean had been for him so many times. It was a good enough reason for him to get his breathing under control, to calm the tears and try to stop the full body shutters.

“And I’ll be strong for _you_ ,” Gabriel used his thumbs to slowly brush down Sam’s cheeks, trying to do something - anything - to calm him down. “Do you need me to get sappy? Because if that’s what you need, that’s what I’ll do.”

“Heh,” Sam couldn’t help but smile when Gabriel was in front of him like this. He did feel better. What he said made sense: he wasn’t just bullshitting because Gabriel didn’t need to. They didn't have an audience to please, it was just the two of them.

“Why are you still here?” Sam asked honestly.

“The hell are you talking about?” His face turned from tender condolences to a frown immediately.

“Archangel superpowers,” Sam shrugged, but still brought his hands up to cover Gabriel’s because he needed the grounding touch. “I thought...when you took off after Abaddon. I thought you really, you know, _took off_. You don’t have to be here in the line of fire anymore. You said you don’t like being above ground, you didn’t want to get caught up in all this shit, I thought you’d be Underground by now...or just done. You know?”

“Sam Winchester,” Gabriel glared mercilessly at him. “Are you trying to sound like a fucking moron or did you just hit your damn head in battle?”

Sam blinked openly, but felt Gabriel’s hands tense up from where they were cupped around his face, “No?”

“Idiot,” Gabriel wasn’t coddling him anymore. He wrapped one hand around his shoulders, another tangled in his hair and he kissed him hard and feral. When Sam needed to breathe, he pulled away just long enough to hiss, “Don’t suppose the fact that I love your fuckin’ dumb ass has anything to do with it, right? Why the fuck would I just up and vanish when _you_ were here?!”

The way they kissed was almost like they’d been thrown back into battle. It was all clashing teeth, rough nips and sheer adrenaline. Gabriel was pissed Sam thought that low of himself, like there was nothing between them, that Sam wasn't good enough to even keep him there. The mere thought rising up pissed him off all over again and he ended up grappling and pinning Sam to the table adjacent to the chairs.

Sam had the wind punched out of him, not just from the impact but from the intensity and pure strength of the Archangel. He had never really thought of the ramifications of being with someone so _powerful_ , until they were literally knocking him on his ass. And ravaging him. In the best way imaginable.

“I’ve lived long enough to know when something’s worth fighting for,” Gabriel still sounded rage-fueled when he sucked a kiss into the side of Sam’s neck but lost some steam when the words sank in, now they were out in the open. “And that’s _you_ , dip shit.”

He slowly pulled away, he'd never been the type to get lost in the moment and admittedly felt a little ashamed.

But Sam did things to him. He got under his skin in a way no one else had ever managed to before.

He tried to center himself and take in a deep breath, but looking at the flustered expression and kiss-swollen lips on the other man’s face made him ruffled all over again.

“God, you drive me crazy.” Gabe muttered, and actually managed to keep his distance, “And now I’m mad because all I want to do is pounce on you and this is the _worst_ timing in the history of ever.”

Sam went from confused, to amused and then actually laughed.

The sound filled Gabe’s chest with warmth, and he was glad he could at least do one thing right.

“I’d like to see you pounce,” Sam raised himself up to his elbows and shook his head while he chuckled, “Sorry. I’m... I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you think I’m worth it.”

“You,” Gabriel stabbed a finger into Sam’s chest, “will be the death of me.”

Sam captured Gabe’s hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss his knuckles, “I love your dumbass, too.”

“See, I warned you about the sappy shit,” Gabriel dipped down from where he had Sam pinned and wrapped him up in his arms, “Hits ya when you least expect it. Usually in the heat of the moment.”

Sam didn’t respond with words, he just pulled Gabriel in tighter and took advantage of his pliancy, kissing the man until he forgot about the world outside.

\---------

The Trinity's first offensive lunge took the devil by surprise, and it was written obviously all over his face. Dean _knew_ he was fast, and Lucifer couldn’t have expected a mere _human_ to be capable of that kind of speed. He was barely able to side-step the attack before he had to change his attitude from nonchalant indifference, to some kind of ferocity suitable for the battleground.

After all, it had been a while since anyone had give him a challenge.

Which was why he didn’t look nervous: he looked positively _gleeful_.

“Dean, Dean!” He exclaimed with excitement, “You may be some fun after all!”

However, the man in question didn’t share his delight. He squared off, falling back into a defensive posture which had been beaten into his head over and over again during training and gathered himself. He could hear the clash of Cas and Meg’s angel blades behind him, heatedly fighting against the empty shells of Michael and Raphael, but he wasn’t allowed to become distracted. His eyes couldn’t wander away from the man in front of him. Thank God for the connection between the three, because he didn’t have to look, he could _feel_ their energy and life force and he would be able to guess if they were in urgent danger. If he risked a glance, a singular _moment_ of weakness, he knew it would all be over.

So far, they were faring well.

With the exception of the emotional turmoil in Cas’ mind that Dean completely wanted to tear him away from. He wanted to save his angel from it. He didn’t want Cas to feel like this, he wanted this battle to be over, just so he could wrap his arms around the man and say all the right words, do all the right things to make him _Cas_ again-

“That blade suits you. It makes sense it would look so nice in your hand, being a descendant of Cain, after all,” Lucifer's own angel blade fell into his hand, but it was unlike one Dean had studied before.

Right. Blade of an Archangel. There was no time to be impressed.

“Too bad dear old Cain fell in love and decided to step down as a Knight. I was lucky to have someone still devoted, like Abaddon.” He shrugged his shoulders, “Until she was killed, I guess. But wouldn’t you make such a lovely knight. Ever think of switching sides? Or have you been blinded with that _disease_ of love, too?”

Dean let Lucifer rattle on and on, the man obviously liked to hear the sound of his own voice.

Instead of using words, he flipped the blade in his hand and dove low for another strike. He wanted this to be done. There was an ominous feeling that had began to tug at his consciousness, something wasn’t right and for some reason he just  _knew_ the countdown had started. The beginning of the end was upon them.

Thank God, Lucifer finally shut his mouth.

This time, he didn’t dodge, he shifted to the other foot and blocked Dean’s blade enough to knock him off balance. But Dean’s reflexes were quick - he danced on the balls of his feet until he found himself behind Lucifer and swung again. When their blades clashed this time, the teeth of Dean’s locked with the length of the Devil's, and it was a pure and simple power struggle of who could push _harder_.

Sweat was beading up and dripping down Dean’s face as he pressed his heels into the tile floor and shuffled to gain his footing. Lucifer, not for the first time, looked concerned - but impressed. It attested to how warped he was, how twisted his soul had become. Instead of sparks normal blades would shoot out, this friction created heat. An unbearable heat, and Dean was worried his body was going to burst into flames.

Lucifer felt it too, and his skin was beginning to bubble, boils appearing in small dusting flecks over his exposed flesh.

He sneered as he caught sight of one said boil on his forearm, “Ahh, reminds me of home,” and grunted into the last word, putting his back into a hard thrust forward.

Dean almost fell over, but his confidence kicked in as well as a surge of grace, and he tried to unlock the teeth enough to pull back and use Lucifer’s weight to bring him right where he wanted him. But of course, their blade-lock was unbreakable.

The more they pushed and struggled - desperate tussling and feet circling around each other - the longer the strange game of push and pull went on - the hotter the friction got. Dean could see their hands lighting up red, like hot pokers, and it was starting to extend into his wrists. But he knew he _couldn’t_ pull away. Who ever pulled away was going to be vulnerable, left wide open for the next attack, which could end the entire fucking battle. They were _too_ evenly matched.

They were huffing and didn’t even notice the cracks underfoot forming around them until they broke _through_ the floor _._

The loud boom and noise of shattering stone filled their ears and soon Dean found himself flat on his back in the center of falling dust and concrete. The single-story drop had hit him and dazed him for a split-second as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of whenever lied beneath the ballroom.  The chunks of marble hadn't even settled before his eyes were wildly scanning the room and avoiding more wreckage that was threatening to cave in.

“Fuck!” He shouted, and instantly jumped to his feet and spun around.

Only, he didn’t have to look far for his opponent.

Lucifer had no place to hide in the darkened room because his hands were _on fire._

And when Dean looked down... his were too.

While Lucifer’s burned red, like the flames of hell, Dean’s were that pale blue - the color of the grace, but no less hot. It hurt, but there were worse things he’d experienced. He wasn’t going to let the world end because his hands were bothering him. Dean readjusted the grip on his blade as he stared Lucifer down, neither of them moving.

“Well,” Lucifer announced slowly, “looks like dear Raphael has met his end. You certainly are an annoying bunch, aren’t you?”

Dean felt himself smirk, because two against one above was a piece of cake.

But his smile was quickly washed away, because he felt something _else_ very quickly. The fire, or grace, or whatever the fuck it was on his arms pulsed and glimmered even brighter then licked upwards until it reached his shoulders. But this wasn’t the _hot fire_ spreading...

This was _Meg’s grace_  reaching out and attaching itself to him, joining Dean's own.  He knew _why_  all at once -

Meg was dead.

\--------

“Didn’t think I’d be seeing you blokes again so soon,” Crowley cooed into the room but didn’t turn to meet any of their gazes.

It was another nauseating swoosh of black smoke the landed Charlie, Jo and Benny right back into the place they had seen Kevin last. At least Kevin didn’t look like he was in any danger. He looked annoyed, more than anything. In fact, he was flipping through what looked like a goddamn sudoku puzzle book with his eyes rolling heavily in their sockets.

“Please, kill me now. I think he’s trying to destroy me through boredom.”

“How the blood hell else am I supposed to entertain you? Get you an ancient scroll to translate? What is it the kids are into these days?”

Garth was kicked back in a seat but shrugging his shoulders and munching on what looked to be a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries, “I dunno, guys, I think we may have picked the right one of the Trilogy to rule Hell. Not too shabby of a host.”

Jo’s jaw dropped and she couldn’t think of a thing to say about the scene in front of her.

So Charlie shrugged and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “New world isn’t looking too bad, wouldn’t ya say?”

“Unfortunately, it looks as though this _current_ world has an expiration date that’s coming _much_ too soon, since you idiots can’t seem to do your damn jobs!” His voice echoed through the room and his power sizzled through the air. And just for the _moment_  everyone was reminded, despite the accommodations, just who they were dealing with. “Good work, ladies and gents. And while I enjoy the fact that every group is down a contender, do I have to repeat myself that we need another three killed to save the bloody world?!”

“Neither Sam or Gabriel are going to die,” Charlie stood up strong. “You’re not going to touch a hair on their heads because you’re going to stay right here _._  Do I have to remind you, _contract_?!”

“Ruby’s dead?” Garth asked, having been locked up in the room with Kevin and not knowing what was going on outside the walls.

He received a few sad nods, but then the tables turned and suddenly Crowley's words sunk in. Jo's eyes widened in fear and she demanded, “Who is the other?!”

\----

The sight of Meg’s body falling to the floor was the last moment of hesitation and the first moment of pure adrenaline and power he needed to lash out and finally slash across Michael’s throat. Seeing her drop, what _he had done to Meg_ , who was more family than the Archangel had _ever_  been, was the breaking point.

Castiel tried to dive to cushion her fall but her back hit the rubble-covered ground like a lead weight - the grace was already gushing from her wounds.

The floor crashing down next to them had the two distracted, and that’s when Michael and Raphael (who were more like programmed dolls than anything) took advantage of their shock and attacked. Castiel expected the strike and took Raphael down quickly. Yet Meg had not been as lucky.

Now she was bleeding a mix of black, red with the metallic remnants of white light that had already left her body and, Cas’ best guess, had joined with Dean’s. It had returned to it's original owner.

“No, no! Meg,” he chanted over as he pressed his hands over the wounds, but knew good and well that there wasn’t anything capable of healing a wound this deep from an Archangel blade. “I should have been there, I-I should have protected-”

“Shh, Clarence, w-we knew this was a damn good possibility and maybe now it’s even better. That grace m-made me itch. And at least Dean’s gotta taste for it, he’ll be able to use it better'n me,” she gritted her teeth. “ _Fuck_. As much as I love staring up into your baby blues, I wish my own little ginger angel was here...”

Cas’ hand glowed as he placed it over the gushing wound, “I can’t save you-”

“Your bedside manner is _terrible_ ,” her hand laid over top of his. “Why are you even tryi-”

“It’s a message. I need a part of you so I can send my grace out to Anna, and she can get here-”

“Fuck, there are s-so many comments I could make about-” she started gasping and writhing, as if the pain from the fatal wound wasn't enough, whatever Castiel was doing was even _more_ painful.

Yet whatever he had done had been worth it.

By the time her voice was hoarse from her shrill screams and the bright light had faded - out from dimming grace exploded another bright light of an angel with tears running down her face.

She ran over to Meg and collapsed, wrapping her arms tightly around the dying demon and tried to choke down her own sobs. Anna ran her fingers through Meg’s dark locks and kissed her forehead, cheek, mouth all over again. While it was so damn hard for Castiel to move aside, he did to give them their final moments together. That's what he would have wanted if he were in their places.

Anna wasn’t stupid.

She knew what this is.

The love of her life was going to die. And there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

“Frisky little angel, aren’t ya,” Meg tried to raise her hands enough to wipe away the tears but she was just getting so tired. “Gonna be all right without me, okay?”

“No,” she tried to smile. “But you told me I have to take care of everyone else in your place, since they can’t seem to do it themselves,” she quoted, and kissed her softly. “I will. And when this is all over... I’ll find you. We’re going to win, Heaven, Hell, and Earth will be back in order and I _will_ find you.”

“Maybe in another life,” Meg smiled sadly, because as much as she wanted to believe in Anna’s words...she just _couldn’t_.

Her eyes were getting so heavy, but her body was getting light - impossibly light... like she could float her way into the sky. Even though she knew Hell would have been waiting for her in another world, in this one she knew there would be nothingness to look forward to. She wasn't sure which she feared more, so she just gave in and let go. Meg’s eyelashes were fluttering erratically, but she managed to send Castiel one more smile and wrapped her arms around Anna, with one last whispered, _“I love you,_ ” before she was whisked away.

\------------

The humans paled at the news while Benny’s face was set in a stone-solid expression, as Crowley rambled on, “...So apparently the demons aren’t having the best track record right now, I must say. Abaddon, Ruby and Meg are dead - not that I liked a single one of those bitches we may be moving things in the right direction, but must I remind you of the finals? I _will_ rule Hell. Now, it’s all up to _you lot_ to decide who to vote off the island. Sam or Gabriel? Don‘t even try to fool me into thinking I can‘t feel the energy of those idiots, who are currently courting around the horizontal mambo right now.”

“Is he serious?” Benny whispered to Garth, “Did we just leave them to-”

“Most _definitely_ ,” Garth said without hesitation and giggled, but then remembered the rest of Crowley’s speech and sobered up immediately. “How do we even know this isn’t some demon trick you brainwashed into Kevin?!”

“Prophets can’t be manipulated by demons.” Charlie mumbled, eyes downcast, and oddly enough it was Benny who wrapped an arm around her rather than Jo. Jo was still too shell-shocked to do anything.

Crowley shrugged his shoulders and snapped his fingers once, “While the fate of the remaining Trinity has yet to be seen I’ll leave you with a choice.”

There was a wild howling, echoing down the corridor followed by a rabid barking that got closer and closer. It was the sound of running coming right up on them. It was a startlingly near _gallop_ of heavy beasts and claws scraping the floor with every bound - and the noise forced fear into hearts the nearer it became. The panting, the growling, and then the steps slowed down to circle lazily around Crowley only there was ... Nothing there _?_

That didn’t keep Crowley's hand from reaching down and patting two seemingly _real_ masses that came up to his hips. He even went as far as to scratch behind their ears. After a strange show of affection, Crowley looked back over to group of renegades.

“So as I said. Your choice. You either decide among yourself. Vote on the violence. I obviously couldn’t give a fuck less. Or we’ll see just which one of those lovely lads my sweet little Hell Hounds favor as a squeaky toy. And don’t think it will be a sure-fire attack on Sam - I may have taken the precaution to melt down an old Archangel blade from dear Raphael and gave little Juliet the manicure she’s been wanting since her birthday.” He cackled, “Well, if she were corporeal right now you’d see it wasn’t anything _quite_ that lady-like about her tootsies.”

“He’s not joking,” Benny hissed as he looked to the ground by Crowley’s feet.

“ _You_ can see Hell Hounds?!” Kevin demanded, looking back and forth between the vampire and the self-proclaimed King of Hell.

“Shouldn’t be able to,” he growled, then directed his focus back to Crowley, “but then again, I just remembered you happened to eat up all the Purgatory souls. So that makes us connected in'a way, doesn’t it?”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Crowley winked, “Practically your daddy. Too bad Eve was such a spoiled sport about it all. I can still hear her up here," he tapped a single finger against his temple. "Complaining from time to time. You know what,” he gasped for dramatic effect, “she’d love to see you kill the archangel. Wouldn’t you like to make mommy-dearest proud?”

“Shut up!” Benny’s temper was boiling over and the edges of his sharp teeth were unsheathing from his gums.

The reminder of what Crowley had done to someone he who he did, indeed, consider a mother figure made him want to say fuck the deal and let Lucifer rule over goddamn everything. Even though he _knew_ that wasn’t right. His hate for Crowley ran that deep.

Thankfully, Charlie grabbed him and brought him back to himself, “Hey, _hey_! Calm down, we can do this,” she grabbed his hand, "but we need to move fast."

“I’ll give you ten minutes,” Crowley practically purred, “Tick-tock.”


	27. Attraction of Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Shit,” Dean was breathless, looking from right to left at his comrades but gaining confirmations from the glow and the haze that, yes, this was it._
> 
> _A soul was one of the most powerful energies on the planet, and although Meg had been a demon... the mix and match, combined with the strange humanity inside of her was the equivalent to a soul. It was one of the most difficult things to accomplish, this phenomenon could never be recreated or forced onto someone. It was an offering; a gift of one's power, it had been used in ancient times when an ailing mother wanted to give strength and a long life to her child when she knew her own end was near and didn't want to leave them with nothing._
> 
> _You could give your soul to your soul mate, easily, if you were desperate and had no desire to partake in any type of afterlife. Because... their well being and they, in general, were infinitely most important. The heart, combined with the soul was unmatched in energy._
> 
> _Yet, Meg had loved Anna and Castiel so completely and selflessly that it had worked. It had fucking worked, and now all the power she had possessed was pulsing through them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/11/15

Dean’s heart was in his throat, and it wasn’t from the adrenaline of battle. He felt like a part of him was missing: but that notion was ridiculous _._ Ridiculous, because technically, as he looked at the sizzling glow of his body surrounded and the spreading of grace like a wildfire - it was the complete opposite. He _should_ feel like his being was expanded, swelling into something larger than himself. He stumbled in his step and tried to fight back the tears that were slowly welling up in his eyes.

Lucifer gave him a feigned pout and patronizingly teased, “How _strange_  that a warrior here to preserve Heaven could become so upset by a lowly demon. And one of my personal favorites, no less. Shall we take a moment of silence to mourn her loss, or are you going to be able to man up and handle what’s in front of you? Because if you need a good cry, by all means, please let me know. I may not join you, but I'd be happy to watch-”

“Fuck. Off.” His words were venomous, but before he had the chance to lunge again he felt a burst of... _something_ pulse straight into his core.

It matched and even exceeded his distress. But-

-Somehow it made Dean feel like she was still here-

Finally when he overcome the shock, he realized that flanking his sides were both Castiel and Anna, their faces ferocious and bodied surrounded in that same aura that had just now knocked him for a loop, and what looked like a...haze of black smoke? And, Jesus, they were strong. It was a level of strength Dean had never felt before, and although it was obvious some of Meg’s grace had been given to Dean as a comrade, there was only one answer. The shield that lit up around the two was the goodness inside Meg she carried that the evil had never tainted, the black smoke swirling was that which encompassed the very heart of every demon - Meg had somehow given these two _all she_ _was_.

“That’s not something I’ve seen for a while,” Lucifer’s voice was even. “A soul split, huh?”

Dean knew first hand from finding himself stuck in lore when he was trying to figure out what was wrong with _him_ and the blood vomiting exactly what those words meant. Mostly because he'd been baffled by the concept and found himself drawn in.

“ _Shit_ ,” he was breathless, looking from right to left, but gaining confirmations that from the glow and the haze that, yes: this was it.

A soul was one of the most powerful energies on the planet, and although Meg had been a demon, the mix and match and the strange humanity inside of her was the equivalent of one. It was one of the most difficult things to accomplish, it could never to be created by ritual or forced by someone. It was a selfless offering; a _gift_ of their power from a special place. The spell had been used in ancient times when an ailing mother wanted to give strength and a long life to her child when she knew her own end was near and didn't want to leave them with nothing.

You could give your soul your true soulmate, but only if you were desperate and had no desire to partake in any type of afterlife. Their well being and they were infinitely more important. Because afterwards, you ceased to be.

Yet, Meg had loved Anna and Castiel so completely, so unconditionally,that it had worked. It had fucking _worked_  and now all the power she had possessed was pulsing through them.

And, fuck, if that didn’t make Dean feel even worse. Here he was, miserable about Meg’s death when two people who loved, and were loved by her, had to accepted all she was and all she could, carrying the weight of her death within the own bodies...

...It was just too much.

“Anna, my darling. So good to see you, as well,” Lucifer smiled. “Back to the three on one? You all never did exactly fight fair.”

\------------

Tessa was sitting perfectly still in a room with her feet planted firmly in front of her while she sipped on a small cup of tea. Today had been a terrible day for her. Even though she as a reaper no longer had the duty of escorting souls to the other side, it didn’t mean she wasn’t the last one to see the blatant disbelief on their faces when they realized they weren’t merely going to die. They were...

Disappearing.  They were going to be gone forever _._ Every cell, every thought, everything they'd been or would have been would disintegrate - cell by cell - and they'd vanish into thin air.

Even though the hollow faces and malice eyes of all the guards and Trilogy officers the Underground band of renegade soldiers had cut down had sneered at their fate, even relished it, it brought her no joy. She hated every second of it. And then, when she saw Abaddon’s face, she felt _hope_. Hope for the first time that this was actually _working_.

She’s announced it to the group gathered in Underground Headquarters since she was one of their only connections to the outside world. Then, when she felt the rush of grace and saw the Angels of the Underground light up, she was ecstatic. It was working! They may actually win!

But then...her heart seized in her chest and her stomach dropped.

She had to witness two faces she had hoped against hope she wouldn't have to see... They appeared almost comforted to see Tessa once last time. It broke the reaper to lay eyes on two women, two comrades in arms, and be forced to wave her one final goodbye before they boldly marched into nonexistence.

They’d never see Ruby again.

They’d never see Meg again. But when Tessa glanced at Meg, she wasn’t even  _Meg._  She was an outline - a shell, which lead to even more confusing thoughts.

Which was why she was seated firmly, feet planted on the ground and sipping a cup of tea. Tessa didn't understand the ramifications, she didn't know what the hell was going on out there, what had caused Meg to be less than a silhouette, incapable of even simple speech for her goodbye.  

Tessa was terrified of the next face to appear in front of her.

Lisa had her arm wrapped around the former reaper and reminded her softly that the angels had their grace back, Abaddon was dead and the rest of their ragtag team was too stubborn to die. Castiel would never let anything happen to Dean, just as Gabriel would never let anything happen to Sam. They both had their own Guardian Angels, in a sense.

Although, that could also have been said about Meg - and she had just witnessed how that turned out. Tessa decided she would keep the bit of news to herself.

“They’ll be fine, girl,” Pamela also placed a quick kiss on Tessa’s forehead where she was keeping vigil alongside Lisa.

It was strange, a reaper being shown this degree of affection, but this was the kind of family she had found herself taken into and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She felt so grateful - when the world had been rocked and she was rendered useless, Tessa always believed she be stuck in solitary until everything ended. She was happy to be proven wrong. Right now, Hannah was working on a plan, Amelia was throwing together emergency kits for the battlefield and that was when Tessa felt it...

A beckoning.

It was ice-cold and hollow. It was the serene and undisturbed tranquility of home. Her _real_ home.

And it washed over her like an old friend.

Without catching anyone’s eye, she silently set down her cup and followed the frosty breeze without a word.

\------------

Gabriel refused to hold back and took Sam apart piece by piece - with a hot mouth and hotter hands. While he wanted Sam's body and mind to be broken down by pleasure, he wanted his soul to be put back together. Which was why, with every fiery kiss and rough drag of his nails across the man’s flesh, he washed pieces of his grace back into Sam’s drained body. He filled the gaping holes tainted by the demon blood, filled the ache and emptiness with something better: his own grace, something pure, and something he admitted was even too romantic for him: his love.

However, that didn’t mean that anything about the process was romantic. It was messy. Their teeth clashed, there old blood from guards they cut down, old blood from each other, from Abaddon, flaking off the clothing they stripped them away layer by layer. But it wasn't quickly enough _,_ because the splatters were gaining new wetness by the sweat of their bodies rocking together. Gabriel gripped a fistful of Sam’s hair to sink his teeth into his neck and press kisses along his jaw, feeding him the grace along the way.

His heart nearly stopped in his chest when he realized that Sam _knew_ what he was doing. He could practically feel him trying to distance himself from the demon blood... To push it out and frantically accept what Gabriel was giving him, all while his hand snaked down the front of the angel’s pants.

Gabriel gasped and threw his head back at the contact as Sam began to pump his fist around the archangel's erection. He was already slick with sweat and precum, the glide of Sam's hand felt perfect - but when Sam’s lips tugged him back that’s when it hit him.  That's when Gabriel knew.

Sam was trying to repay him.

And not simply with the hand he had wrapped around Gabe's cock.

Sam’s damn heart was pleading, demanding, _needing_ this - and if Gabriel was in his right mind he would have stopped everything right this instant.

That was the thing - he _wasn’t_. His 'right mind' was long since forgotten in the turmoil and now all he had was directly in front of him. It was the addiction of Sam's touch and his human's silent plea. He pulled both their pants down completely and sucked along the man’s collar bone until he was hovering just above his heart.

Sam’s hands were roughly pinned to his sides because Gabe shoved them away from his dick and instead rutted forcefully against the crease of Sam’s thigh. Gabriel could feel him begging wordlessly. He could see them glowing together in the otherwise dark room. It was that connection, that damn Trifecta connection, and now that the demon blood was free from the equation everything had been rewritten.  Now, it only included the grace of a fucking archangel, the damn ’L’ word and everything changed in the blink of an eye _._  This wasn’t holy. This wasn’t evil. This was whatever the fuck they wanted. There was nothing in the prophesy about _only_ grace being used between them, that wasn't what the Trifecta had been about. It was new territory.

And so was Sam’s fucking soul calling out, wanting to fill in Gabriel’s missing pieces in return. He was in over his head, the desire was overwhelming - as Gabriel’s lips hovered right over Sam’s chest, Sam’s legs wrapped around him with a shocking display of strength.  And then locked his ankles and jerked his body.

“ _Fuck_!” Gabriel moaned in time as Sam writhed and bucked, full of Gabe’s cock. “What the _hell_ , I didn’t even prep-”

“You got your grace back,” Sam rocked his hips, panting as he lewdly swiveled his pelvis. “Knew you wouldn’t hurt me, or you could heal me. _Need you_.”

“Holy shit,” Gabe knew he was right.

In that split second, he had reached out on gut instinct alone, making sure Sam was all right. He never wanted to harm him but now, this _thing_ \- now he couldn’t avoid it. The way his lover felt wrapped around his cock, the way he could feel the grace already in the midst of building a deeper bond...

“You knew-” Gabe started thrusting into him aggressively and unapologetic, “ _you_ fucking _knew_  as soon as I had that tight little asshole wrapped around me I couldn’t say no-”

“You started it,” Sam raked his nails down his back. “Your grace...of fucking course, can- I can _feel_ it, I-” he grunted and stopped in his tracks, because all of a sudden, just to be an ass, Gabriel shot a blast through Sam like a pleasure tsunami. “Gabe, Gabe, please, I want-”

Sam squeezed his thighs around Gabe as the shorter man burned hotter and hotter from the inside by the words spilling from his lover's mouth. He wrapped his hand around Gabriel’s and just _prayed_ the angel would let him. Sam tugged Gabriel's hand to his own heaving chest and made sure he was held right where he could feel the pounding of his heart.

“It’s us. It’s just us now, and I _want it_ ,” Sam groaned as Gabriel caressed him with the grace he’d already used to mend him, and a whole new level of euphoria rolled through his body. “Please, _please_.”

Gabriel couldn’t focus. Sam’s true essences was reaching out from inside, brushing against his grace and _tugging_. Tugging him towards that damn central part of him. Gabriel had felt similar loves begging for him, but nothing like this - nothing that drew him in and made him want it this badly. Each and every slide inside the man’s body became softer - what started out as brutal fucking, melted away into an enamored connection.

Because this entire time _,_  ever since the first piece of grace Gabriel had tried to sneak into Sam, Sam had wanted to give him back a _piece of his soul_.

Gabriel’s fingertips twitched above Sam’s heart with trepidation, but the kid had brought the very energy of his life-force to the surface. It was unyielding and stubborn, practically licking at Gabriel’s palm. Gabe steadied himself with his free hand on Sam’s hip and pulled his cock out nearly all the way, as he allowed his fingers to brush the muscled skin.

Sam watched him, lips parted and eyes filled to the brim with both lust and anticipation.

Gabe leaned down for one more kiss - frantic and urgent - which Sam returned obsessively, lapping and sucking like this was the last one they’d ever share.

His mind was made up. Gabe slammed in as far as he could - but it somehow felt deeper _..._  the rush of heat at his fingertips slid under his skin and filled him up. Sam gasped and moaned, Gabriel’s entire being reacted to the touch of his soul and the result was electrifying.

The thin whips of Sam’s energy coursed through his veins, through his entire body until it intermingled and literally became _part of him._ The most precious gift a human could give.

Gabriel’s lips never left Sam’s and it wasn’t even sex anymore. It was an out-of-body experience as they became one and the pleasure poured between the two like oceans colliding. There were bursting bulbs in the room, crashing furniture, and soon Sam felt himself not just filled up with grace, but with Gabriel’s cum.

They both heaved heavily, struggling to catch their breath and didn’t even bother to glance around the wrecked room. All they wanted to look at was each other. They shared one more tender kiss before Gabriel laid down next to Sam and pulled him into his arms. Even after that, he couldn’t stop running his hands through that cute, annoyingly long hair... and he couldn’t exactly grasp nor comprehend what the fuck just happened.

But whatever it was it felt _right_. And shit, if he wasn't head over heels and took one of the biggest steps you and your lover could-

“Oh my fucking God!” A shrill, very familiar cry filled the room and a few pairs of footsteps halted just outside the doors. “How is this my life?! Is it because I’m gay that the universe wants me to see as much dick as possible as punishment?!”

Sam blushed and was quick to pull on his clothes, “Sorry, Charlie, wasn’t-” Sam sent a new level of bitch face to Gabe, who was merely lounging and still very naked on the table. “Really, Gabe?!”

“I want to know the crisis before I’m forced to put those gut-covered gross things on again,” he rolled his eyes, like the answer was obvious. "I enjoy being naked, thank-you-very-much."

Sam chucked his own shirt to cover Gabe’s crotch, suddenly a little possessive as the others entered the room.

“Would Hell Hounds with angel blade claws do it, douchebag?!” Jo threatened with clenched fists.

Suddenly, Gabriel was very agreeable, “Hm, I suppose that may be something I could bother to get dressed for...”

\----------

  
“Are you trying to tell me that Crowley’s reneged on this deal?" Gabriel demanded as they walked down the hall.

“Not so much _reneged_  as changed the terms and conditions a little,“ Garth winced as they relayed the information. “Well, it’s kinda one of those fine print things that you don’t really realize was in there until it _is_ , you know?”

“What fine print?!” Sam was baffled as they turned a corner.

“Never mind that. We need to find your brother.” Garth was clearly avoiding something with the younger Winchester, and now Sam was even more suspicious that they needed to find Dean - wasn’t he working to kill Lucifer? Was that the fastest change of subject Garth could come up with? Or was it something completely different?

“You guys keep on keepin’ on! I gotta chat with Benjamin real quick,” Gabriel grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled him into a quick kiss. He didn’t release him until he whispered into his ear, “Be careful, but just remember ya got a little archangel in you. So have fun with those new powers,” then he pulled away and winked.

Sam didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or annoyed, so he settled on smacking Gabriel in the arm and teasing, “Well, maybe you can have a lot of human in you, later.”

“It's a date. We’ll see what kind of trouble we can get into,” and with that, Gabriel beckoned Benny out of the room.

Gabriel rubbed his hands together as soon as they were out of earshot, “So, word on the street is you ‘n me have got a little something in common.”

Benny took a step back and arched his brow, quickly defending, “If you think I’m going after your Winchester or something-”

“Oh, no, no, no. If I thought that, you’d already be in roughly sixteen pieces on the floor," he announced gleefully. "I’m talking about _Purgatory_.”

“Eh, I don’t really have an interest in saving Monster Hell if that’s what you’re saying,” Benny looked at the ground and Gabriel knew there was something he was trying to avoid, even if Gabriel hadn’t already known it, previously.

The angel was baiting him.

“So. You’re cool with leaving Mama in the dust?”

“What do you know about Eve?!” Benny demanded, the grip on his blade tighter now. “You were listening, weren’t you?”

“One of my many talents. Of course, I could eavesdrop on your little conversation with Crowley. And of course I knew he was going to be sending the Hell Hounds to kill Sammy or me. Which is why we need to get to him first.” There was no room for question, “We make our own fine print to match his, no breech in the contract if he wants a ceasefire, right? We’re not killing him, we’re just getting our buddies back. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“You’re protecting Sam, I get it. But why do this for me?” Benny’s posture was defeated. Of course every monster had ties to the Mother, but Benny had actually recognized her as a maternal figure in his life. He actually cared deeply about her.

“Meh,” Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. “Believe it or not, that whole Trickster business got me a lotta friends who made dumb mistakes or wrong moves that landed them in Purgatory. Ever since day one, I hated Crowley and wanted nothing more than to kill that fucker and release those souls - but I didn’t have the power. Now? I’ve got it and we’re gonna do it.”

“Of course, I’ll help!” Benny said in a rare show of excitement. After all, the aid of an Archangel was more than he could ask for, “What do you need help me?”

“For starters, what can you tell me about Lovecraft?”

\-------------

  
Dean knew they had Lucifer surrounded. Their odds were good, but they were not invincible. There was determination which was mirrored by sorrow. They had taken too many hits already, and who knew how many more they could take. Could they win without Meg? But a woman scorned, as they say, made Anna was a formidable foe. She was just as tenacious, if not more so than Meg. Because this was the man at fault for her lover's death _._

“Well?” He sneered at the group, eyes sliding between the three with that playful guise.

No one expected it to be Cas to lunge, but he did, blade flying as a distraction until he got one good punch straight to the center of Lucifer’s face. The sound was like two boulders crashing together and it wasn’t a tactical battle move - it was an emotional one.

Shit.

But apparently Lucifer felt it. Instead of cackling, he recoiled and there was a steady stream of blood gushing from his nose before he reached out to retaliate.

Castiel ducked to his knees, and Anna was in the air, appearing behind him to strike before he knew it. The devil grabbed a handful of her redhead and swung her like a doll into the nearest wall, but Cas was able to slash his blade right through the meat of Lucifer’s calf while distracted. Dean was too awestruck to snap out of it until Lucifer literally kicked Castiel under the jaw and sent him spiraling backwards.

Dean rushed forward. He knew the only thing that could kill Cas was an angel blade, not brute force, so it was _his_ turn to get back to the battle. Lucifer was in the middle of a chant by the time Dean reached him and quickly cut him off by swinging for his jugular. He wasn’t expecting to land it, just to stop whatever spell he was trying to conjure in the meantime. They didn’t have the leisure anymore.

Dean’s eyes widened as the burning hot hellfire that was engulfing Lucifer’s body actually stopped the blade. Dean was frozen in place, his grace _locked_ with Lucifer’s.

The man cracked his neck and stretched, even though the teeth of the First Blade were mere inches away from his throat and quipped at Dean, “Looks like we’re at a stalemate.”

“What?!”

“Our little force fields can’t touch. You’ve got your bubble and I’ve got mine.” He shrugged. “Can’t say I wasn’t looking forward to killing you, but it will be equally fun to have you watch your friends die before your eyes. After all, _they’re_ not strong enough to kill me.”

Dean tried to push harder and harder with the blade, but the devil was right: no matter how much force, no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get him. He couldn't fucking break through, like they were the wrong sides of the magnets, pushing against each other. And Lucifer made a show of it right back, clicking his angel blade with a series of ‘tap, tap, tap’s along Dean’s own energy field.

Cas and Anna were slowly getting to their feet as they realized what was happening. They’d heard it all and they knew. Dean knew the expression on Castiel’s face. It wasn’t fear, it wasn’t defeat... it was _plotting_. The kind of mile-a-minute strategic thinking a leader would do, and so Dean fell back. At least he could try to protect them... Defense instead of offense?

Anna and Castiel looked at each other and nodded. This was something familiar. One of those creepy, mind-reading angel things he didn’t even pretend to know about. And then before Dean could retreat the whole way, Cas whispered, “Give me the blade and grab him.”

“What?”

“Do you trust me?” Cas tried not to bark, but Dean knew there was no time, even for a split- _moment_ to question him. So he did just that _-_  throwing it over his shoulder and running forward to tackle him.

“Aww, Dean, coming in to hug it out?” Lucifer’s breath punched out as a second body wrapped around from behind him.

Lucifer was knocked to the floor, tangled in Dean’s arms and legs from below - and _Anna’s_ body, where she was pinning him and latched on over top. The grace Meg had given Anna suctioned on when she grabbed Dean’s wrists tight, as Lucifer tried to throw her off. Anna and Dean were locked together, a circlet of Meg's energy flowing through the two like a damn melded infinity ring - it was like hot iron cooled and hardened around their opponent. Lucifer was circled in cage or sorts, poetic; as he had been in the box for all those centuries. Only this time the bars were the struggling limbs of a broken angel and the Righteous Man, and this damn tether of grace just _wouldn’t let go._

Dean, with the wind knocked out of him was trying to put two and two together. What was Cas thinking? Why were they hogtying Lucifer like this when he wasn’t even able fight...? When they were both safe from each other, and he couldn't even touch let alone attack the devil-

And then he realized.

 _The blade wasn’t in his hands_ for _an attack._

And it was _Anna_ who was carrying on the flow of grace, the Trinity connection and power of three...

... And it was _Anna_ who was on top, who Castiel straddled in a flash and was raising the First Blade overtop of -

Anna took that single moment to look Dean right in the eyes, over Lucifer's shoulder, and hissed, “Before s-she. Meg said 'tell Dean to jump.' _Remember_.”

“Cas!” Dean screamed, as he watched in terror as the blade sliced through the air, sliced through _Anna’s body_  and then sliced cleanly though Lucifer’s _heart_.

Castiel didn’t stop there. He twisted it, made sure the teeth were tearing the tissue and ligaments, destroying every damn piece inside Lucifer. He was sizzling, crackling, and soon, the telltale explosion of wings, along with the blacked outlines were not only spread alongthe floor, but along the walls, even reaching up to the ceilings. In the midst of the grand fallen archangel’s final mark on the world, a smaller pair of beautiful, yet tattered wings rested close by. And those were the ones Castiel was looking at. He choked a sob, before bringing the blade up one more time and laying it to rest, buried in the meat of Lucifer’s neck.

Castiel fell to the floor with a loud thud and did his best to pull Anna off his dead brother and onto his lap. He smoothed the hair off her face and tried his best to stop from shaking.

Dean shoved Lucifer’s dead body off him and gaped at the scene in front of him. The Devil was dead. The biggest and the baddest of the Trilogy, and it wasn’t even Dean who had done it. It was Castiel’s quick thinking and Anna’s life.

It made sense. Strategically. It all did, really. It was _Dean’s_ blade. Part of his soul was connected to it and it wouldn’t hurt him. It would never turn against it's master.  The spell Lucifer had created was against the attacks _Dean made,_ not his _weapons_. So Dean was the glorified fucking cutting board in the showdown, and now Castiel had lost someone just as important to him... again.

“Cas...” Dean started crawling towards him.

“It’s what she would have wanted. A life without Meg wouldn’t have been much of a life for her. It wasn’t my choice, it was hers,” he explained calmly, but that did nothing to make Dean feel better.

So he continued to close the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Cas from behind as he pressed gentle kisses against his neck. He tried to be there for him as much as he could. However, it was hard when Cas was refusing to let go of his friend's, and practically sister's, blood-soaked and lifeless body.

“Hey, hey,” Dean tried to tug at him because they needed to get out of there. He could feel the ceiling above them caving in and who knew how much energy they had left for an escape. He needed to make sure Sammy was all right, but more than anything, he needed to make sure _Cas_ was all right. There was a little more force behind his voice when he urged, “We gotta go, Cas.”

Although Castiel continued carding his hands through her hair, he did acknowledge Dean's voice. He schooled his features and laid Anna down in a way that made her look as though she was sleeping in the center of her scorched wings. Like an angel on top of a tree, bringing joy to everyone who laid eyes on her... not a heartbroken shell of what became a creature, giving it one last ditch effort for a world she didn't want to live in anymore.

Dean took Cas’ hands and pulled to try to jump-start their exit. Still, Cas put up a struggle and yanked him right back, looking directly in Dean's eyes when he gushed out, “I would have done the same.”

If the frown on Dean's face wasn’t enough, the question of “what?” had to do the trick.

With a dire need to say the words to make him understand, Cas explained, “If you had died. And I could make a difference I’d have done the same thing. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without you.”

And fuck it, if the whole building fell on them right then and there, Dean wouldn't care. He wrapped his arms around Cas and kissed him with everything he had, only breaking apart long enough to whisper back, “Me too, Cas. Me too.”


	28. Jump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The winds were tornado-like gale speeds, every article of clothing strapped tightly to the remaining soldiers - just watching, and waiting - whipped around like they were going to be shredded and blown away. Each and every face was solemn. They knew this was the end._
> 
> _You could see the earth cracking, falling and tumbling into the pitch-black nothing and disappearing. Where Balthazar’s apartment had been was swallowed up. Where the Winchesters had lived in relative peace had fallen away into nothingness. All of the alleys Sam and Dean had ducked into, hiding from Trilogy guards when they were younger, or just playing dumb games were gone. It was only the palace, in shambles, that remained._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 2/11/15

“So! Once upon a time in land far, far away lived four brothers who were loved and feared by all. Or so this book or whatever says, I don’t know the specifics - it's from this thingamajig called the Bible.” Gabriel chuckled but continued, “They were loved and feared by all, but they also loved and feared each other quite a bit. And as of today, we’ve lost the big brother - who never questioned dad, the middle brother - who was the voice of reason, and the naughty brother who just had some daddy issues. So you know who it is you’re stuck with, fucknugget?”

Gabriel ended his speech by plopping himself down right into the lap of a very angry looking Crowley, “The _handsome_ one. The one who fights dirty and has a certain fondness for his homies in Purgatory. And the one who would like to get mama Eve home ASAP. So. Now that the other two big bads are gone, think you can do that since you’re the last Trilogy left standing and got the role of a lifetime? Or do I need to send in my own little audition tape for King of Hell? Because, trust me, I’ve got theme nights you’ve never even _dreamed_ of.”

There was a sinister glare in his eyes that Crowley didn’t dare try to argue with, “What the bloody hell. And you’re one of the _good_ guys?”

“Has yet to be seen,” Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. “But I’m _fucking_ one of the good guys, so that has to count for something, right?”

Benny batted him in the shoulder with a scoff.

“Should’ve known. You lot can’t keep your smarmy comments to yourselves for less than two seconds.” The demon grumbled, “Well, we’ve got the little issue of Leviathans, now don’t we? While your ‘homies,’ as you’d say, are missing home, these twats have been itching at the back of my brain like a bloody menstrual cycle! What do you plan on doing with those?”

“Have you even looked outside lately?”

“What kind of- oh.”

“Do you really think the Leviathan are going to want any part of this?” Gabriel raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "All they care about is munching on humans.  Not many left and they're dropping like flies. Not to mention the rest of the world."

“Touche.”

“So you’re in?”

“I suppose. Not much I can do right now.”

Gabriel winked, “Perfect. Benny, sit tight, I’m gonna round up the troops!”

“And really, Crowley?“ Before Gabriel left, he turned around to the bound demon and cackled, “Dogs fuckin’ love me. But nice try with the Hell Hounds.”

As if on cue, Juliette barked happily and Gabriel tripped a little from how she nuzzled against his leg. “Aww, do you wanna come along, darlin'?” He barely knelt down, since the hound was basically the same size as he, and patted her playfully on the head, “Nah, I think you should keep a good eye on daddy. Make sure he’s as well behaved as you are - all right, cutie?”

After a small whimper, Gabriel shrugged, “All right. Have it your way. Come on, pup," and shut the door. Crowley shouted angry after him, “Bloody Archangels are the bane of my existence!” until his throat was raw.

\-------

He didn’t even need to stop and think about it, his heart was leading his feet and his brain didn’t matter because before he knew it, he was turning a corner and he was face to face with Sam and the rest of the group.

“Gabe!” Jo shouted as she saw the man. Suddenly, Sam was knocked flat on his back and she shrilly shouted, “The Hell Hounds!”

Only... Sam was giggling...?

“W-wait!” He shuffled around trying to get free, “ _This_ is a Hell Hound?! This thing is trying to give me a bath, not rip my face off!”

Gabe smirked and ruffled the invisible fur on the scruff of his neck, “Knew you always wanted a puppy, Sammy. Thought it’d be my grand gesture of love!”

Charlie and Garth were blinking owlishly, looking between one another and Charlie voiced, “Is this real life?”

“You sure are one of a kind,” Sam accepted the hand held to his left and allowed himself be pulled up by Gabriel. “How did you manage to tame this?”

Everyone was wondering the exact same thing.

“Ye of little faith. I think you’re forgetting all the special talents I have on my resume. Hell Hound trainer just so happens to be one,” he smirked and there was something more than a little mischievous in his expression. “I’m not all goody-goody like the rest of your angel friends, remember? Sometimes I’m the bad guy-”

And when the words left his mouth he looked over to Sam, mentally smacking himself, “I mean-”

“We’ve all been the bad guy, Gabe, don’t worry.” His voice and expression were sincere and the secret smile a bit tender.

Fuck, if that didn’t make Gabriel’s heart melt a little. But Juliette was getting a fussy. She was starting to whimper and scratch, circling as she heard some voices and banging coming from outside.

“What’s that noise? Something’s different-”

Gabriel couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he kicked open the door on the nearest exit, feeling and knowing _exactly_ what it was.

Everyone’s jaws nearly dropped to the floor.

“It’s more than we hoped for-” Sam breathlessly looked around into the city and the sight took his breath away.

Angels. _Everywhere_.

Pure, bright angel blades, clashed against the blood-stained jagged swords of the Trilogy officers, the brittle rusted blades of the latter snapped in two, blow by blow. There were lightning flashes of blinding light as the angels smote the demon’s out of their meat suits. Some merely touched two fingers to the foreheads of humans they could read the minds of and knew they were being black mailed and simply trying to stay alive in this mess. They weren't merciless but they weren't weak either.

Through the battle cries, the utter chaos and the fighting, the crashing of the bodies dropping one by one - a woman emerged from the crowd, her eyes darting around wildly. Gabriel dropped his hand to pet Juliette and let her know that it was all right, he tried to explain ‘ _friends_ ’ through the bond he created between himself and the Hound.

“Hannah!” Gabriel felt her eyes drawn to him and she immediately dropped down to one knee on instinct, being in the presence of an Archangel. Which made him frown and ruffle _her hair_ , just as he had ruffled the Hell Pup's. “Hey, you stop that. Last month you told me you were gonna jam your foot up my ass if you caught me stealing one more piece of pastry from the market place. Nothing’s changed.”

She smiled. Well, smiled as much as Hannah could smile, which ended up being a half-upturned attempt. So she settled on bowing her head, “It’s good to see you like this, Gabriel. Our Father created a work of art with you-”

“Oh my God, I can’t deal with this!” Jo couldn’t stop cackling, “But Hannah, did you put all this together?! This is amazing-”

“As soon as my grace returned to me, I knew what I had to do. What Castiel would have me do.” She nodded and spoke to all her comrades, “I gathered the rest of the fallen Underground and we followed the trails of grace which led us above. Most of those in the army had been trapped, but others had joined willingly so...” she trailed off and they followed her gaze back over to the battlefield.

Sure enough, there were scorched, charcoal-like outlines of angels who had burned out on the battlefield. Hannah’s face was full of remorse, “I’d hoped better of our brothers and sisters. I assumed they’d had no choice in the matter. But many of them had _always_ wished to follow Lucifer and scoffed at the idea of overthrowing him. I don’t believe they know he's dead yet. That they have nothing to fight for any more.”

“You did well,” Charlie wrapped her arms around the woman, the only type of comfort she could think to offer at the moment. “Cas would be proud. We’re winning!”

“But we’re _not!_  I do not understand,” her hand sliced angrily as she tore away from Charlie, gesturing back to the edge. “ _Why_? If the Trilogy is dead, why is the edge still caving in? Why is this happening? Where is Castiel!?”

There was a tremor of fear shaking in her voice.

She didn’t show fear on the battleground while slicing down the demons she had been hiding from for nearly a decade. Hannah didn’t even seem as terrified as the rest of them about the earth falling away, and getting closer and closer to the end. She was worried about _Castiel_.

“We’re looking for him, I promise,” Sam placed a hand on Hannah’s shoulder. “He’s with my brother, he’ll be all right. Let’s keep fighting, we can win this.”

\---------

Dean managed to pull Cas away from Lucifer’s wing of the building which was crumbling at an alarming rate. The structure they managed to hole up in and catch their breath was safe room.  They needed to get it together before locating the others.

Only...

...it didn’t seem like Cas wanted to catch his breath just yet.

He pushed Dean against the wall and kissed him, mumbling against his mouth, “I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you, I couldn’t save Meg, I couldn’t save Anna-”

“But you _did_. You saved me and you saved the rest of the fucking world. That was all you, Cas,” Dean was trying to use soothing kisses to bring his angel out of this manic episode but it just _wasn’t working._

All it did was spur Cas to kiss him harder and rougher, to shove against the wall with even  _more_ force and aggression. It was like if he didn’t have the stability of Dean against his body, everything was going to disappear.

“I’m right here, Cas, right here,” Dean tried and tried again, meeting every kiss and acclimated to whatever Cas wanted.

If he needed to work out his stress, he’d be there for release. If he needed someone to hold him and love him, Dean had that covered, too. But it just didn’t seem like even _Cas_ knew what he wanted.

Besides Dean, himself.

That much was obvious by the way he was rutting up against him and tugging at his pants.

And Dean would've loved to give himself to Cas. But not as an escape. He didn’t want Cas to use them to fuck the pain away. He refused. So Dean grabbed both his hands and linked their fingers together, raising them to rest at the base of their chins. He wasn’t going to stop thrusting into him, because he wasn’t a goddamn saint - it felt too good - but he wanted Cas to feel _him_ , not just his body.

Dean sucked tender kisses into Cas’ neck and alternated by brushing his lips against his knuckles. He needed to bring back the man he loved.

And he thought it finally worked. Castiel broke free of Dean’s hold, threaded one hand at the nape of Dean’s neck and looped the other around his waist. Their mouths collided, sloppy, yet full of affection and yearning. Cas snapped out of it, he was _finally_ back to himself and to Dean.

“I’m sorry,” he admitted with a raspy tone, “I got carried away.”

“It happens,” Dean smiled into the kiss and let his own hands tease along the edge of Cas’ pants, then up Cas’ shirt. He felt every defined muscle, making sure to use a feather-soft touch since they were both battle worn.

“You’re back now. And everything’s going to be okay. We need to check on the others, all right?”

“There is one more thing I must do first,” Castiel whispered to Dean, brushing his nose against the stubble-covered cheek that was beginning to get unruly but Cas admittedly loved.

Dean rearranged him in his arms, not quite ready to let him go, “Do you have to? We can go together-”

“Trust me,” Cas gently placed both hands on Dean’s shoulders and moved him back. “This is a loose end we will _both_ be happy to be rid of.”

\----------

Cas’ boot clicked loudly as he entered the empty room and stared down a woman he had never thought he’d lay eyes on again. “Bela. You prayed for me.”

“I figured your friends would be too preoccupied with their own little missions. I’d be the ideal person, since I'm much more content far away from the battle field, to send you the location,” she crossed her legs and languidly leaned back in her chair, gesturing to her side. “I gift wrapped him up for you. I know you’re too sweet and kind for your own good, so I tried to keep my hands to myself.”

Castiel noticed the man in front of him looked relatively unharmed, but couldn't help demanding, “ _Why_ , Bela?”

She stood up and without preamble, firmly gripped Castiel’s shoulders to look him right in the eyes. “I’m sorry. For being a giant bitch, and I know if...” she bared her neck to the side, “ _if_ you wish to end me, I wouldn't blame you. However, I also wished to address it in person. Whether the world ends or not,” her hands softly trailed from his shoulders down his biceps to his elbows, then his wrists. “Don’t forget to ask him about Mr. and Mrs. Winchester, darling,” she squeezed Castiel's hands. “Now if I’ve earned a bit of forgiveness, may I be excused, Angel?”

She took his completely cold silence as her cue to walk away.

When Castiel snapped his fingers the chains and warding surrounding Balthazar completely disappeared into thin air.

“You betrayed us. Why.”

It was simple.

And Castiel wanted a simple answer in return. Or for Balthazar to say it wasn’t true. To deny it all, to do something. But the man on the floor just sat there, unmoving in the weighted silence. There was a flare of concern that Castiel had to shove down deep _-_ he had to hide it, bury it all away - because he considered Balthazar his best friend and why would -

“-The Winchesters.” Suddenly, Castiel had a direction as Bela’s words suddenly came back around to him, and his voice rose in volume. “What happened with John and Mary?”

“I did it.” Balthazar muttered, finally breaking his muteness. “Tessa and I knew Sam and Dean were special from the beginning. We kept an eye on them, watched Ruby seduce Sam, watched Dean protect his family the best he could. But...when the order came down and Ruby tried to intervene, we knew we’d have to step in. We couldn't let the prophesy be over before it even _began_. I don't regret it, it lead us here.”

“You killed Sam and Dean’s parents?” Cas’ voice was dry as he continued with the news Bela had unveiled to him with in her prayer, “And you were to make Jo a _sacrifice_  in proof of Trilogy loyalty. How long have to been against us?”

He finally looked up and made eye contact, “It wasn’t until little Kevin was captured and he started blabbing about all that nonsense that I was even found out. I never betrayed _you_.”

“Then what was Jo? Our plan was flawless if you'd gone through with it! Why did you lie about locations, why did you lie about motives why did you-”

“I never betrayed you, Cas, but I didn’t give a shit about the others!” He shouted and finally jumped to his feet. “You are my comrade. You are the _only one_ I care about _._  Really though, you’re a daft idiot because I would do anything you asked me to do in a bloody heartbeat! When they found out, they told me as long as I gave them the traitors, I could keep the one I cared for out of harm's way. But Bela royally fucked that up now, didn’t she.”

Cas opened and closed his mouth a few times, “You would destroy anything and everything either one of us holds dear to guarantee _my safety_?”

He attempted to make his words clear and concise but the clenching and unclenching of his jaw must have given him away.

“Ever heard of _love_ before, Cassie?” Balthazar tried for cool indifference.

However, Castiel turned his back to his former friend and spat, “I thought better of you. The Trilogy has been defeated, there is no longer a threat that would have you making decisions of violence. Go your own way. Never speak to me again.”

“Cas, _wait_!”

Balthazar was left alone in the room, with only the echoing sound of his own desperate plea bouncing off the catacomb walls.

\----------

Dean didn’t wait for Cas to get back from his errand - he knew the angel would be able to find him without a problem. What couldn’t wait now was his _brother_. Were his _friends_.

So he tore down the halls, trying to zone in on some kind of feeling, some kind of _energy_ , in order to get an idea of where they may be. He caught a tingle of grace. It wasn’t Cas' - so it _must_ have been Gabriel's. He focused his mind on that wisp and darted off at full speed to follow it.

When he dodged around the corner, knowing he'd reached ground zero, Dean didn’t even have to throw open a door... it was already _ripped_ from the hinges when he approached.

The frame was shaking to hold its structure and all the speed from his search fled as he slowly joined the crowd that had formed just beyond the opening. There were more or less a hundred people standing stark-still in the ballroom of the palace. It looked like what was underfoot was the very  _last_ smooth surface to stand on. And they were all motionlessly staring out.

Dean froze when everything crashed down.

He'd had a gut feeling, a _sinking_ feeling that never stopped since they'd been halfway through the fight with Lucifer. Dean wondered what had sparked it, where the eerie tingle in his spine had come from - and he was confused when it hadn't left once they'd won the battle.  But now? Now, he knew.

What Gabriel dubbed his little ‘edge of heaven.’

The black hole.

The end.  The end of _everything_.

Less than a mile away...

The winds were at tornado-like gale speeds, every article of clothing strapped tightly to the remaining soldiers -who were just watching and waiting - whipped around like it was going to be shredded and blown away. Each and every face was solemn. They all  _knew_ this was the end.

You could see the earth cracking, falling and tumbling into the pitch-black nothing and... _disappearing_. Where Balthazar’s apartment had been was swallowed up. Where the Winchesters had lived in relative peace had fallen away into nothingness. All of the alleyways Sam and Dean had ducked into, hiding from Trilogy guards when they were younger, or just playing dumb childish games in ignorance of what the world had become - those had vanished. It was just the shambled palace, in the center of it all, which remained. That meant that the Underground... _God, no_ -

“Sammy!” Dean screamed out, darting in and out of the crowd desperately, “Jo! Charlie! Garth!”

He could feel his voice going hoarse as he shouted over and over again - pushing through zombie-like angels and humans alike. His words were cracking when he finally caught sight his group of misfits - hunched over and sitting along some broken down rubble. Although Benny was no where to be seen, Charlie and Jo were wrapped in each other’s arms, looking out as the end _visibly_ crept nearer and nearer.

“Well, we tried, ya know,” while Jo tried to it laugh off, Charlie was trying to keep her tears hidden. “Guess it wasn’t enough.”

Everyone left the words unsaid because they all knew what the last part of the prophesy called for - the very reason they _hadn't_ saved the world. But their friendship was what made them who they were, it was what made them strong and got them here. They weren’t going to sacrifice even one of their friends just so they could live in misery without them. They'd lost too much already and living with the burden of _choosing_ to kill two so they could live, God, it would break them. It was a shared secret, but it had to be. Gabriel knew he was selfish and he would never give up Sam to anyone, not even to Death himself. And hell, if Gabriel would throw Dean over the edge. He could never do that to his little brother. Which was why this...would just be it. _This_ would be the end. At least they were all together.

Garth looked like he was going to have a panic attack. He was the first one to break, and as it came closer the rest caught the overwhelming mania and _fast_. The calm acceptance started to turn into _violent hysterics_ and the moment of peace was lost forever. It spread like a fucking _wildfire_ through the masses. The worst type of contagion at the worst possible time. The angels, humans and remaining demons began screaming and a few even launched _themselves_ over the ledge - as one last ditch effort to control their own fate. Maybe it made them feel better that they'd go down fighting, even against the end.

Charlie started to heave in her air erratically, before she choked on her breath and sobbed openly. Jo held her closer, kissing her over and over, promising her it was going to be all right. She whispered sweetly against her ear, something just meant for the two of them - " _we're together and that’s all that matters.'"_

“Why is this happening?!” Dean could hear Sam demand over the wind and Gabriel's response was to simply shake his head and kiss him. Sam clung to him, completely unsatisfied with his answer but the terror in his voice was palpable. so he gave in and melted into the archangel's comfort.

That was still Dean’s question too and he was starting to panic. The frenetic energy surging around him wasn't helping - the insanity was affecting him by the second, and if the end was so real he couldn't be alone, he _wouldn't_. Dean’s heart sped up and he started _screaming_ out for Cas.  Because at this point - where the fuck was his angel?! He couldn't do this, not without-

 _If this was it, where the fuck was Cas, why wasn’t he here, what was he_ -

“Dean!?”

He was pulled around by the strength of a body he knew inside and out, and was crushed against Castiel's chest. “I don’t understand-”

Cas didn’t waste anytime: he tugged him in and their lips collided together. Obviously they had fucked up along the way. But he wasn’t going to leave this earth without the taste of Dean on his lips.

The wind was whipping back and forth so intensely they were losing their footing and the rocks were cracking underneath their feet. Castiel saved their balance, but when they both ventured to look out...

God, it was _hopeless_. The ground was starting to vibrate and rain - _was that really rain-_? was beginning to pour down from the heavens. The crushed concrete and blasted stone turned into a murky and slick mud that made every step fatal. The edges of the Empire began to slopes and disintegrate - it was time to swallow up the final safe haven. Between the torrential downpours, the brutal squalls and flying debris-

The Earth was trying to eat away the disease that was humanity _._  

They had failed.

Cas wiped Dean’s hair out of his face from the beating of rain and kissed him one more time, “I’m glad... that I found you in the desert that day. I’m glad for every second I had the honor of being with you after that. There’s no one in the world I’d rather fight alongside of, or die alongside of. I love you, Dean Winchester.”

Dean could feel his throat constrict and swore there weren’t tears in his eyes - it was just the _fucking rain,_ but he did manage to mumble out, “I fucking love you, Cas,” before nearly knocking him over with a kiss.

Or who knows _what_ knocked them over... maybe it had been the last of the shifts before the Earth finally caved in and _vanished_.

\----------

There was an explosion of smoke. A flash of light. A quake that reached down to the very core of the Earth. And then...

...The sound of rushing water.

When their vision cleared, Sam and Dean looked at each other with wild confusion. They had gone from a heartbreaking, front-row-seat in a blood-stained palace filled with dozens of lunatics and _their_ loved ones and looking out to the maelstrom of a violent end... Yet now, they were in the caves on the outskirts of the Underground. Which shouldn’t still been here. They _shouldn't exist_ , they were already _gone_ , they-

The chaos had stilled and as the brothers looked at each other, winded and frantic, it was only then they realized they weren’t alone.

Standing in front of them was Tessa, poised as always, with the addition of a man who Dean couldn't shake the feeling he recognized.

Confusion was written all over Sam’s face. The more Dean studied the new face in front of him, the more the fog cleared from his brain and it finally clicked. Then a whole new bafflement shot through him when his jaw dropped and he uttered the man's name:

“... _Death_.”

“Nice to see you again, Dean. I don’t believe we’ve met, Sam. You’ve only been introduced to my colleague, Tessa, but it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he nodded to each of them before gesturing to the other reaper, “I brought Tessa along with me so you wouldn’t give me any hassle or accusations. I’ve come to learn the Winchesters are famous for it.”

They were speechless, that was until Sam managed to clear his throat and ask, “How are we here?”

“It’s not a question of how; it’s a question of _why_.” Death raised his eyebrow and tapped his cane along the bank of the river, “This here, my boys, is the why.”

“You’re gonna have to spell it out a little clearer,” Dean tried for confidence, but it came out shaky and skittish.

His body was _wrecked_ , he was exhausted and he was scared. He didn’t know what was going on since the Underground should have been long gone, how things had ended up at the palace, if the others were even alive, he needed to-

“You’re thinking too hard,” Death gave him a quirked smile that wasn't unkind. “You’ve done enough. You’ve played your parts, and you’re one single step away from bringing the world back to the way it was _supposed_ to be. I didn’t think you had it in you, so color me impressed.”

There was a proud smile on Tessa’s face, as well.

Dean was about to scream. It didn’t fucking look like it from out there. The two hadn't been there to witness the heartache, the sheer madness and the necessary carnage, but Dean knew better than to have an outburst. The ice in his fucking bones knew better. Had time frozen? The city was nearly gone, how was he - Death was right. He needed to stop thinking because something told him this right here was beyond comprehension.

“Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory,” Death mused, as the tip of his cane moved across the surface of the water, “need only _one_ leader. Which is why those idiots all trying to rule Earth - which needs no one, mind you - royally _ruined_ things so completely.”

“Crowley, while I loathe him, will do well in Hell,” he looked up, even though he knew their attention was his alone. “The Angel, Castiel, is mighty and righteous. He’ll do well to restore order and be virtuous - much like he was ruling your own little hideaway corner of Earth. Ruling Heaven will come easy to him. Loki, or,” he chuckled, “the Rebel Angel, Gabriel, is truly neutral. He will thrive and manage the realm of Purgatory with _ease_. Although, I find it rather _amusing_ that an angel would take to that part so well.”

“Glad you’re amused by that,” Sam couldn’t hold back, thoughts of Gabriel still at the forefront of his mind.

Death disregarded him, “The demons were a means to an end. Doomed to fail - as the disgraceful, _tainted_ creatures they are.”

“Can’t disagree with you, there,” Dean grunted, although in the back of his mind his heart still ached for Meg. She didn’t need to be a casualty. She was good, _dammit_ , and if he could have saved her, he sure as shit would have.

“Which leaves _you two._ ” Death took a few steps forward, sizing them up as he walked, “The mouthpieces. The Keys to the Prophesy. The ones who brought this change and saw it through to the end.” There was something almost remorseful on his face. “But, abominations, none the less.”

“What?!” Dean snapped, “ _Abominations_?”

“No creature should exist with angel and demon _blood_. With angel and demon _grace_. Only _weapons_ can come from such magic. You were weapons, tools, and therefore - the final piece to the puzzle. Before the order can be restored.” His voice was quiet and somehow consoling.

He took a step back and gestured with his cane to the river, “The final step.”

Sam and Dean exchanged looks - mouths dry and eyes wet. Sam tried multiple times to speak, looking between his brother and Tessa, but outright _refusing_ to look at Death. He refused to look at the river, too.

“D-Dean...Before Ruby died-”

“I know, Sammy, _I know-_ ” he was choked up, but in a way he knew it was going to come to this.  He had heard the message from Anna, who relayed it from Meg.  Now it all made sense.

When he said he was going to do anything to fix the world, he meant it. Those weren't empty promises or boasts born of bravado, he meant every word. Dean had gone through hell - he’d had his body torn apart and put back together. He had his soul ripped into little pieces and glued like an arts and crafts project, until it was even stronger _._  That strong part of him throbbed, and the patchwork masterpiece his friends had constructed with pieces of themselves built him into something great, he held shreds of all of them and... _They just knew._

“They’re gonna be good, you know?”

Sam’s voice snapped him back into reality.

“What?”

“Cas and Gabe,” Sam’s tears were now flowing freely. “This is just a promotion for Cas. He’s already been doing it for so long in the Underground. Now he’s just gonna get more credit. And less assholes like _us_ giving him shit.”

Dean couldn’t help the bark of a laugh that escaped his throat, “Yeah, we were pains in the ass, huh?”

“Gabe’ll-”

“Gabe,” Dean shook his head and chuckled when he restarted, “Gabe’s gonna be frolicking through fields with a fairy chorus, and Benny'll be cookin’ for him every damn day,” Dean walked up and placed both hands on his brother’s shoulders. “They’re gonna do _great_ , Sammy.”

The smile on Sam’s face was genuine as he nodded and blinked away a few more tears, “I know. They _really_ will be. Fuck,” he pulled Dean into a hug, “I’m glad it ended like this. That we won. That we made it here. Together.”

Dean returned the embrace, clutching onto his little brother for dear life before he nodded decisively. “Yeah, just one thing left to do before our victory dance.”

“Jump?”

“Jump.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: While 'Hell of A Long Way Home' has now reached completion, this is not the end. There is currently a sequel in the works. I had originally planned this to be the official ending, but as I continued writing I fell in love with this universe and the characters too much to go with my original intention. Tell me your thoughts, please! Those who've been reading and sticking with me, I love you all :-*


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